


The blind faith between us

by Agika



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:15:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28191537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agika/pseuds/Agika
Summary: This story begins where we left off Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. Phryne is in London, waiting for Jack to arrive and continue their story. When Jack doesn't show up, Phryne starts investigating but instead of a lost Detective Inspector she finds a shocking discovery. As she digs deeper she meets old friends, mobsters and new enemies. Can she save  Jack before it's too late? Is there any future for Phrack?
Relationships: Phryne Fisher/Jack Robinson
Comments: 32
Kudos: 39





	1. Come after me, Jack Robinson

**Author's Note:**

> I highly recommend you to read my other story: "Out of Breath" to understand the relationship between main charachters. Enjoy!

Phryne Fisher was excited. A few weeks ago, she received a letter from Jack about his arriving time to London. Since then, she was counting the days when she can see him again. The image of his handsome face constantly appeared in her mind, even if she was attending glamorous parties, dance classes or even taking a fencing lesson. Now that she was driving to the port to pick him up, she couldn’t help thinking about their last encounter on the airplane field in Melbourne. He kissed her like no one else before and she asked him to come after her because she couldn’t bear the idea that this would be the end for them. Apparently, it wasn’t. As she parked her car and fixed her makeup in the rearview mirror, she thought that they are only minutes away from continuing their story.  
She cut across the crowd with light footsteps in her brand-new scarlet coat and hat. The ocean liner has just sailed in and many people were waiting in the port for their loved ones. Phryne prepared that she probably had to wait a while until she could finally glimpse the familiar dashing figure, so she tried to be as patient as she could despite of her wildly hammering heart.  
A couple of hours later there was still no sign of Jack and the waiting crowd began to disintegrate. She decided to go closer and check out if she could see a lost Detective in an elegant coat anxiously waiting for her. Unfortunately, she didn’t. There were only a few people in the waiting area but none of them was Jack.   
It started to get cold and dark. She tightened her furred scarlet coat as she was heading to the office of the harbor master. It costed only 10 pounds for her to get the passenger list.  
‘I’m sorry, ma’am’ the rusty looking harbor master said. ‘I’m afraid your friend is not on the list. Are you sure he was supposed to arrive today?’  
‘You mean, he wasn’t even on the boat?’ Phryne asked amazed without answering his question. The man shook his head.  
‘He must have caught another one.’ He said and when he saw Phryne’s anxious face, he added. ‘I can check the passenger list of the Queen Mary which will arrive in two weeks.’  
‘That would be awfully helpful, thank you.’ She said gratefully and pulled out another banknote from her purse. The man took it and after a quick search on his desk he started to study another piece of paper.  
‘I’m sorry, ma’am. He is not on this either.’ He shook his head. Phryne had a bad feeling about all this.   
‘Can I use your phone, perhaps?’ She asked and put her last banknote on the man’s table.  
‘Of course, ma’am.’ He put the telephone machine in front of her. ‘I’ll give you some privacy.’ He said and left the room. As he closed the door, she hurriedly dialed Norfolk.  
‘No, you didn’t have any visitors, Miss.’ She heard the housemaid’s voice. ‘But you got a letter earlier.’ Phryne’s heart skipped a beat.   
She drove like a maniac back home. Luckily, there was no traffic on the roads since it was already getting dark. She didn’t even take off her coat, but already asked for the letter. She reached for it hurriedly and didn’t even bother to go inside. Her hands were shaking a little as she clumsily opened it in the hall. It wasn’t from Jack; it was from Dot. Usually, she was happy to hear about her friend but this time she felt bitter disappointment.  
Suddenly she heard the phone ringing sharply. ‘I’ll take it in the hall.’ She shouted to the housemaids and jumped to the device.   
‘Phryne, dear.’ It was Rachel Goodman, an extremely wealthy flapper acquaintance of Phryne. She kept inviting her for grandiose parties since she was staying in London. ‘I knew you said you were busy today, but you just must come tonight.’ She heard her friend’s posh voice. Before Phryne could even answer she started to talk about who will come to the party and what will happen there. Phryne was about to cut off her tirade when she realized that Dot’s letter was still in her hand and absently started to read it.  
‘I can’t believe this.’ She burst out as she finished reading.  
‘I know, right.’ Rachel Goodman giggled. She probably didn’t realize that Phryne didn’t even listen to her in the last couple of minutes. ‘Are you coming, then?’ Her last sentence brought Phryne back to reality. She shook herself and answered cheerfully.  
‘Count me in, Rach.’ She said and hang up. Then she crumpled the letter and elegantly threw it in the waste basket.

2 months earlier  
Hugh Collins wasn’t sure if he ever heard his boss whistling happily in his office. Since the Constable came back from his honeymoon, he noted in astonishment that the Inspector was acting unusually cheerful. He had a feeling that it has something to do with Miss Fisher’s journey to England, but he had no idea how. He would have thought that his boss would be rather devastated once Miss Fisher stops being the part of his life.  
‘Collins’ he heard a cheerful voice from the Inspector’s office. ‘Will you get an appointment with the Chief Commissioner for me?’ Hugh was about to answer when a tall, grey-haired man entered the station.  
‘I…I don’t think that would be necessary, Sir.’ Hugh stammered as he recognized his boss’ boss. ‘Good afternoon, Sir.’ He greeted him.  
‘What’s going on, Collins?’ Jack hurried out of his office with an annoyed expression on his face which quickly disappeared when he saw the Chief Commissioner.  
‘Inspector Robinson.’ The man nodded towards him. ‘What a coincidence, I’ve just came here to see you. Can we talk in your office? I’m afraid it’s a delicate matter.’  
‘Of course.’ Jack nodded; his boss’ visit couldn’t promise any good. Hugh could see his cheerfulness fading away as he closed his office door behind himself.  
‘I’m afraid I have to ask some personal questions, Inspector.’ The Chief Commissioner said as he sat down on the chair in front of Jack. He didn’t answer, just nodded. It was only a matter of time when would the new Chief ask about Phryne Fisher. He was quite prepared to answer but he wasn’t sure that it would entirely satisfy the man in front of him.  
‘I understand you were divorced a few years ago.’ He opened a file and started to study it.  
‘That’s right, Sir.’ Jack answered. He decided to share as little as possible. He had a feeling that everything is written on his file anyway.  
‘I’m sorry to hear about that.’ He said without any empathy in his voice. ‘Does your divorce have anything to do with a certain young lady from your previous cases?’ He looked at Jack seriously. Jack felt heat going through his neck.  
‘I’m not sure what you’re implying, Sir.’ Jack answered a little bit harsher than he wanted.  
‘Excuse me, Inspector. My intention wasn’t to insult you.’ He apologized quickly but not very convincingly. He closed Jack’s file and leaned a little closer. ‘It’s part of my job to know everything about this precinct and to utilize this knowledge for better cause. It’s not something that I chose but it’s important for the police force to know everything about police officers.’ He shrugged apologetically. Jack didn’t say anything, he still didn’t know where this conversation was heading to. ‘Naturally I hear a lot of rumors, but I can tell you that most of it prove to be true by the time.’ He took another pause and studied Jack’s face for a while before he continued. ‘In these files I have every kind of information about you, Inspector Robinson. Apart from how you are doing your job and how many cases you solved, it contains details about your private life too. Trust me, I would not dare to use such information if I were not in need.’ He sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead before he started to speak again. ‘I found a very interesting connection in your file, Inspector. I want to ask you that correct me if I’m wrong, but please be honest with me. As I have said our situation is quite difficult right now.’  
‘I will do my best, Sir.’ Jack said anxiously and watched the Chief Commissioner opening the file in his lap again.  
‘A few years ago, right before your wife moved to England you were investigating a murder of a man named Franco Fabrizi.’   
‘That is correct.’ Jack answered in a muffled voice. He didn’t expect this particular topic.  
‘I understand you became a regular costumer of the restaurant of the victim’s family and even a close relationship developed between you and the Stranos, despite of the fact that you didn’t find the murderer by then.’ He paused and looked at Jack waiting for his reaction. Jack felt his throat became dry. ‘Can you describe your relationship with the widow…uhm…Concetta Strano?’   
‘We are good friends.’ Jack said briefly but the answer didn’t seem to satisfy his boss.  
‘Nothing more?’ He asked. Jack felt his face was burning now. It wasn’t a very long time ago when Concetta offered herself for him. He liked the idea to marry this beautiful, smart and strong woman. There was only one problem with it, Concetta wasn’t Phryne Fisher.   
‘I’ve been never unfaithful to my wife, Commissioner.’ Jack answered harshly.  
‘And after your divorce?’ The man studied Jack’s face with eyes narrowed. ‘Perhaps when you were investigating the death of Luisa Carbone?’  
‘I arrested her brother, father and fiancé.’ Jack snorted sardonically but he felt his heart was beating faster.  
‘You mean the fiancé who she was forced to marry upon her by her father?’ The Chief Commissioner stayed persistent.   
‘Is that all, Chief Commissioner?’ Jack stood up. He had enough of this conversation.   
‘I’m afraid not, Inspector.’ The man said sternly. ‘We received some bad news yesterday about your arrest of Roberto Salvatore. He wants to strike a bargain.’ Jack sat back on his chair. Roberto Salvatore was a dangerous criminal who had connections with the Camorra, a criminal society in Melbourne. The death of many people dries on his soul. It wouldn’t be right to let him get away with it.   
‘He said he had information in his possession which could be extremely useful for us.’ The Chief Commissioner continued.  
‘Such as?’ Jack asked with dry throat.  
‘Names, locations, crime scenes. Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t trust in that bastard, not for a moment but he said something else too that made me wonder. It was about an assassination that the Camorra are planning for a while now.’ His voice was serious and he seemed honestly worried.  
‘Did he tell any details?’  
‘No, he didn’t.’ He shook his head. ‘But he said he could help us to prevent it.’  
‘Why would you believe him?’ Jack frowned.  
‘We have other sources that confirmed that something big will happen soon. We don’t know much about it though. I think only people from the highest rank know the details.’  
‘And Roberto Salvatore is one of them?’  
‘Unfortunately, not.’ He sighed. ‘He knows some details, but he doesn’t know anything about the date and the location. Nothing crucial.’  
‘So that means, he could be bluffing?’ Jack found it quite odd that Salvatore forgot to mention this under his interrogation. It was more than possible that he was lying.  
‘He could, of course. But there is a way we can figure it out.’ He looked at Jack eloquently and suddenly the reason of his visit became clear.  
‘Are you talking about going undercover, Sir?’ He asked in a husky voice.  
‘I’m glad you agree with me, Inspector.’ The Chief Commissioner’s face brightened up. ‘You will be perfect for the job.’  
‘Sir?’ Jack heard his voice squeaking.  
‘You are an excellent police officer with a huge experience and you also know these families pretty well.’ He answered cheerfully.  
‘With all due respect, Sir but I think that’s why my cover wouldn’t work.’ Jack answered sternly. ‘They know quite well that I am a policeman, they wouldn’t tell me anything. I arrested their “capo” for Goodness’ Sake!’ He raised his voice. He started to feel like a mouse in a trap and he didn’t like it a bit.  
‘What if you become one of them?’ The Commissioner smiled at him, like he saved the best part for the end.  
‘I’m not following you, Sir, I’m afraid.’ Jack said confused.  
‘You can easily become the part of the family and earn their trust at the same time if you are willing to tie the knot with a strategically important family member.’ The Chief leaned back in his chair contentedly with his idea.  
‘Marriage, Sir?’ Jack froze. His office became blurry and his head began to throb.  
‘Of course, it wouldn’t be easy.’ His boss added thoughtfully without answering Jack’s question. ‘You are a divorced person, and they are Catholic. Also, there is that tiny inconvenience that you are a policeman.’  
‘I wouldn’t phrase it like that, Sir.’ Jack said bitterly. He started to think that his boss completely lost his mind.  
‘Well, I think I can help with that.’ The Commissioner answered cheerfully. ‘Of course, just for the time of the investigation.’ Jack gulped. He felt like a strong rope would have tightened around his neck. ‘And I’m sure you can convince that lovely Italian girl to marry you.’  
‘Who, Sir?’ Jack asked hoarsely but it was unnecessary to ask. He already knew the answer.   
‘The daughter of the “capo” of course, Concetta Strano. I heard that she was very fond of you.’ The man smiled at him conspiratorially, as if he was waiting for Jack to thank him. But Jack couldn’t say anything, his world has just shattered into million pieces. ‘You don’t have to answer right away of course.’ The Commissioner stood up. ‘I assume one day would be enough time for you to think it through. I’m expecting you in my office tomorrow afternoon.’ He said sternly and shook Jack’s hand.  
‘Yes, Sir.’ Jack could only say that. His voice was weak, and he felt like the ground opened beneath him. His boss nodded and headed to the door, but he turned back before he opened it.   
‘Oh, and what did you want to talk about earlier?’ He asked lightly. Originally, Jack wanted a permission for permanent absence to visit Phryne in England. Right now, it seemed as if it was ages ago that he spent all his money for the ticket that promised him a future full of love and happiness. Now the image of this life suddenly faded away. He had to bite his lower lip by frustration.  
‘It doesn’t matter anymore, Sir.’ He said hoarsely.  
‘Good.’ The Commissioner nodded cheerfully. ‘And don’t forget, Inspector, not a word to anyone about this.’  
‘Of course, Sir.’ Jack only said.   
‘Goodbye, Sir.’ Hugh opened the front door for the Chief Commissioner when he left.   
When Hugh finished his shift, the Inspector’s door was still closed and quiet. He didn’t answer the phone calls and didn’t even come out. Hugh was worried. He decided to tell Dottie about it, she would know what to do.


	2. An honorable man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The phrase "capo" means the head (of the Camorra). In the original tv show Papa Antonio was mentioned as the "padrino" which has the same meaning but it is used by other Italian Mafia-type. According to Wikipedia "unlike the pyramidal structure of the Sicilian Mafia, the Camorra's organizational structure is divided into individual groups also called "clans". Every "capo" or "boss", is the head of a clan, in which there may be tens or hundreds of affiliates, depending on the clan's power and structure. Consequently, as Camorra clans act independently, they are more prone to feuding among themselves."

After the Chief Commissioner left, Jack just sat in his chair and stared at the wall for a while. He was in shock. The hope of a happier future with the beloved woman seemed to dissipate in one minute. He felt like his heart stopped beating and his brain froze.  
After a while he started to consider his options. He read all the files his boss left on his desk about Roberto Salvatore and the possible attack of the Camorra. According to the unnamed sources they are planning this event for a while now and it will cause many deaths. Some of the sources reported at least 50 deaths some of them only 20 but it didn’t matter to Jack. He was a policeman, he worked for every person’s safety.   
He read the files repeatedly, but he didn’t find any better solution than going undercover. He knew that there were many capable people in the police force who can do this job but there was a reason why the Chief Commissioner picked him. Concetta Strano.  
When Jack arrived to the “Stranos”, the restaurant was already closed but the lights were still on and he could see a familiar figure from behind the curtain. He knocked on the door. It wasn’t the first time that he came here after closing.  
‘Gianni!’ Concetta opened the door with a surprised expression on her face.  
‘Concetta.’ Jack smiled. There was a time when he loved that she called him in his Italian name. Now he felt rather embarrassed. They had not met since he rejected her. ‘Is it a good time?’ He asked hesitantly.  
‘You know I will always have time for you, Gianni.’ She smiled lightly and she opened the door wide for him. ‘Will you join me?’ She pointed at the set table, Jack’s favorite one.  
‘Are you alone?’ Jack asked as he sat down at the table and looked around.  
‘I don’t really have much company lately.’ She smiled bitterly as she filled Jack’s glass with red wine. Suddenly Jack noticed the dark circles under her eyes. Now that her father and brother were not around, she probably had to do everything by herself.  
‘Can you hire someone to help you out?’ He asked.   
‘Working for a Strano is not very popular around here lately, I’m afraid.’ She said grimly. ‘I was hoping I can sell this damn place and start a new life somewhere, but my father wouldn’t let me.’ Jack nodded. Papa Antonio was arrested for his criminal activities as the capo of the Camorra. Until he was alive, Concetta wasn’t free either.   
‘We still don’t have any hard evidence of he was being the head of the clan.’ Jack sighed. ‘I have a feeling you will see him soon.’ The young woman didn’t say anything for a while just stood up to fill Jack’s glass again.  
‘I’m not sure if it would be a happy reunion.’ She said bitterly. ‘With Salvatore out of the picture he would probably want to find me another suitable suitor.’ She emphasized the last words with a disgusted grimace. Jack looked at the woman who lived through so many horrible things. She had to leave her family at a very young age to marry someone who was so brutal to her that even the mentioning of him made her tremble. Her father’s second choice, Roberto Salvatore wasn’t better either. Luckily, she didn’t have to marry him. At least until now.  
‘I’m afraid I brought you some bad news about Roberto Salvatore.’ Jack said. He could see that even the mention of the man’s name made her terrified. ‘My superior thinks that there is a chance he can walk out of the prison free.’   
‘How would that be possible?’ Concetta whispered in terror. ‘He murdered my husband, Gianni.’  
‘It seems, he was willing to share information about the Camorra that could be helpful for the police.’ Jack said gently. He wanted to comfort her somehow, but he decided not to. It felt quite inappropriate right now.  
‘So, they make a deal with him.’ She rolled her eyes angrily and clenched her fist. Jack only nodded. ‘You can’t let this happen, Gianni. He is a bad person. Malvagia, evil…’ She cried. Jack touched her hand gently; it was ice cold. ‘I can’t marry her.’ She whispered sniffing.  
‘You won’t.’ Jack said in a serious tone. ‘I can give you money, I have savings. You can go wherever you want and start a new life.’  
‘I can’t take your money, Gianni.’ She touched Jack’s face softly. ‘Besides, I have nowhere to go. I can’t even find a job as an Italian immigrant here in Australia. And you know well that they would find me, wherever I go. You’ve just said that yourself that my father will be out of prison too.’  
Jack knew. The Camorra was a huge organization with an extensive network and connections. Concetta wouldn’t have a chance. He knew he had to help her even if it means to sacrifice his own happiness. He made an oath to serve innocent people, and he couldn’t break it.  
‘Then marry me and I’ll make sure you’ll be safe with me.’ He had to gather all his strength to say those words.  
‘Gianni…’ Concetta whispered. ‘You don’t have to do this. We already passed this. I can’t be your wife not when I know your heart belongs to someone else.’ Jack had to force himself not to think about Phryne but the people who he can save, including this wonderful woman who was now completely terrified.   
‘This is the only way to protect you.’ He took her hand. Concetta didn’t answer for a while just stared at him in disbelief. She still remembered the first time when she met Jack Robinson. She was practically a child by then. She has just moved to Melbourne a few years earlier to marry a man she has never even seen before. Unfortunately, Franco Fabrizi didn’t turn out as an ideal husband. He was a stocky, loud and brutal man. Sometimes he went violent too and Concetta lived in constant fear when would she say or do something that made him angry. She felt guilty about when he died, she felt nothing but relief.   
All her life men ruled over her and she was never treated as equals, until she met this handsome and intelligent policeman who wanted to have a conversation with her. She could still hear Jack’s deep and velvety tingling voice in her head:   
“Mrs Fabrizi…” he said but Concetta stopped him. She didn’t like him calling her by her late husband’s name.  
“You can call me Concetta, Inspector Robinson.” She whispered awkwardly and Jack gave her a charming smile that made her heart pounding wildly.  
“Jack, please.” He said still smiling.  
“I’m afraid, I’m not good with Australian names, Inspector.” She answered shyly. She didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of the dashing Detective.  
“Perhaps you would feel more comfortable with an Italian name?” He smiled at her kindly. Concetta knew deep down that his kindness was only an attempt to comfort her and earn her trust as a witness, but she didn’t care. No man has ever spoken to her so kindly like him and she wanted to enjoy every moment of it until it lasted.  
“May I call you Gianni, perhaps?” She asked blushingly. Jack gave her another charming smile before he answered.  
“You may.”   
And that was how it started. What began with the investigation of her husband’s death, followed by long conversations at the Strano’s and soon Jack occupied a special place in Concetta’s heart. It became a habit of her to always reserve a table for him with his favorite wine and she prepared his favorite meals. She remembered her mother always saying that the shortest way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. She didn’t know what she meant by that until she met Jack Robinson. He never skimped on praise when it came to food and Concetta always blushingly received those compliments. After Jack divorced, she was hoping she could cook for him every day from now on but unfortunately, he never crossed the line between friendship and romance.  
About a year later her father announced her engagement with Roberto Salvatore. This time she wasn’t a little girl but a grown-up woman in an enlightened country and she didn’t like the idea that her father treated her like a cow that he could sell for gold. She decided to take her fate in her own hands. She was ready to give herself to the man for whom she had been bile for years. But when she kissed him, she knew he could never reciprocate her feeling. He was in love but with someone else.  
‘I can’t possibly expect that from you.’ She squeezed Jack’s hand now. ‘What about your life? What about…’  
‘Don’t worry about it.’ Jack interrupted. He felt that if any of them would say Phryne’s name he couldn’t possibly go through this. ‘I want you to be safe.’  
‘Gianni.’ She whispered and after a quick hesitation she kissed him gently. Jack couldn’t force himself to kiss her back. She studied his face for a while before spoke. ‘This would be a dream come true for me…but not for you. I know that there’s something else that you don’t tell.’ Jack wanted to speak but she stopped him by raising her palm. ‘You probably have a good reason why you are not sharing it with me. Don’t worry, I am used to men keeping secrets from me.’ She smiled at him kindly. She couldn’t be possibly mad at the man who always treated her with respect.  
‘What is your answer then?’ Jack asked. He looked at her and felt embarrassed. This woman would deserve a proper engagement with a man who truly loves her. He couldn’t provide any of it to her.   
‘I can’t marry you. Neither of us need another marriage without true love and commitment.’ She said seriously. Jack nodded. He himself was prepared to never remarry. The only woman who he could imagine spending his life forever with, seemed to drift farther and farther away from him with every minute. They sat in deep silence for a while, thinking about life and missed opportunities.  
‘I think I know a solution.’ Jack said after a few minutes of silence. ‘But you have to trust me. Your life depends on it.’ He added with a serious tone and looked deeply in her eyes.   
‘I trust you with all my heart, Gianni.’ She whispered.

A few weeks later   
Dot was standing in front of her wardrobe with narrowed eyes. This ritual became commonplace lately. She was standing there for a few minutes, pulled out a dress that didn’t fit then sat down annoyed next to her sewing machine, hoping she could manage to adjust it to her new figure.  
She had always been a curvy girl but lately she felt she became huge. Even if Hugh wouldn’t admit it, she knew she picked up a few pounds or even more. It started when she came back from her honeymoon and moved into her new apartment as Mrs Hugh Collins. It became real that she had to leave Miss Fisher and her detective assistant work changed to housewives’ duties. After a while she was bored and felt emptiness which she was tried to fill with food. Her dresses became soon tight, but she couldn’t help it. She was starving all day and when she didn’t eat, she felt awfully dizzy and nauseous.  
Now she picked a loose style light dress and prayed to fit when she heard the doorbell. She managed to slip into the dress, but it was awfully tight, especially at the breast and hip area. She wanted to take it off, but she couldn’t. She was stuck. She took her robe annoyed as she heard the doorbell again. On her way to the front door, she glanced at the wall clock. 7 o’clock just passed. She had no idea who on Earth would like to see her at this time of the day.  
When she opened the door, she was even more surprised. Detective Inspector Jack Robinson was standing there but it could have been the shadow of himself too. His face was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes as if he didn’t sleep for weeks.  
‘I hope I don’t disturb you, Mrs Collins.’ He said hoarsely.   
‘Not at all, Inspector.’ Dot tried to act cheerful but her dress under her robe was awfully uncomfortable and started itching. She led Jack to the dining room where guests were usually received. While she was serving some tea and cakes, they were talking about casual things, like the weather or the health of Dot’s family members. They spectacularly avoided the subject of a certain person who had a great impact of the life of both. Finally, Jack finished his tea and put down his cup with a big sigh.  
‘I have something to tell you, Mrs Collins.’ He said with a serious voice. There was sadness in his bright blue eyes. Dot instinctively clasped her hands. The Inspector sounded like he was about to share some bad news and she was hoping that this had nothing to do with Hugh. Jack sighed deeply before he spoke again. ‘I am getting married.’ He said without joy. His face was so dark as if he has just announced someone’s death.  
‘Congratulations, Inspector.’ Dot could only say. She was confused. She remembered Hugh was talking about how the Inspector’s mood changed from bright to blue a few weeks ago but she wouldn’t have thought it was because of an engagement. She was still hoping that he would come into his senses and go to England after all. ‘Excuse me for my indiscretion, but are you marrying…’  
‘Concetta Strano.’ He said gloomily. Dot didn’t answer just forced a fake smile on her face. She was trying to be as polite as possible, but it was difficult to congratulate to someone’s engagement when the person didn’t look happy at all. Also, she had a feeling that Miss Fisher wouldn’t be thrilled about the news either.  
‘I came here today because I want Miss Fisher to hear about it from a friend.’ He looked at Dot. Engaged or not, in this moment she was sure that the Inspector was still in love with Miss Fisher like he was since the day they first met.   
‘I don’t want to be rude, Inspector but don’t you think it would be better if she would hear it from you?’ Dot was upset and her dress under the robe was awfully itchy. ‘Miss Phryne deserves an honest explanation of the sudden engagement of a… uhm… an old friend.’ She didn’t want to say lover although she was quite sure that would be a more appropriate phrase of describing their relationship.   
Jack seemed surprised by Dot’s sudden outburst then his face darkened again. ‘I’m afraid I don’t have any explanation, Mrs Collins.’ He finally said quietly. ‘Thank you for the tea, I can see myself out.’ Then without another word, he left.   
Dot was staring after him for a while before she sat down to write a letter for Miss Fisher. When she finished it, she felt nauseous again and realized she was still wearing the tight dress under her robe. As she cut herself out from the dress, she was thinking of how Miss Fisher would react on the news.

7 months later  
Phryne made herself comfortable in her private parlor with a cup of coffee and the relatively fresh copies of The Argus which was sent by Dot at her request. It’s been 6 months since she came back from the harbor where she waited in vain for Jack Robinson. Since then, she started every day like this. She woke up relatively early, ran through every newspaper that Dot kindly sent her from Melbourne then put it with a frustrated sigh on a nicely arranged pile when she finished it. But today was different.  
Annie, the housemaid dropped the coffee trail as she heard Phryne’s triumphant scream on the corridor. ‘Are you alright, Miss?’ She knocked on her door uneasily. Her mistress has never been a quiet one, but this outburst was particularly loud, even from her.   
‘I’m feeling fantastic, Annie, thank you.’ She heard her cheerful voice from inside then after a quick pause she added. ‘Actually, can you come in for a minute?’ As Annie walked in, she found Phryne still in her bed with newspaper in her hand and sparkling in her eyes. ‘Start packing, Annie, I’m finally leaving this depressing city.’ She announced with a big smile.  
‘Are you going to the countryside, Miss?’ Annie asked innocently as she started to clean up the coffee that Phryne spilled out during her celebration.  
‘A little bit farer, Annie’ she laughed. This was the first time when Annie heard her mistress laughing sincerely. ‘I’m going back to Melbourne.’ She smiled as she slipped out of her nightgown elegantly as a white dove.   
‘Did you finally get the information you were waiting for, Miss?’ She asked and Phryne threw the opened Argus in front of the maid. Annie spent this last year as Miss Fisher’s companion and thanks to Phryne’s tuition, she could read the article now that Phryne pointed at. ‘Antonio Strano was acquitted of all charges.’ She read slowly. ‘Who is this man, Miss?’  
‘A very dangerous criminal, Annie.’ Phryne answered lightly as she started to put on her makeup.  
‘Has he something to do with your Inspector?’ Annie asked carefully. Phryne spoke occasionally about this mysterious man in a voice like he had a special place in Phryne’s heart.  
‘I’m quite sure he has.’ Phryne sighed. Mentioning Jack Robinson brought her back to the day when she received the letter from Dot about his engagement.  
Of course, she couldn’t believe not for a minute that Jack changed his mind and gave up on their future relationship. She had her reasons. Jack Robinson was a true gentleman who can face with every consequences of his action. Under normal circumstances he would write a letter himself and not sending messages by Dot. Phryne was quite sure that he deliberately wanted to keep her away from himself. The only question was why.   
She spent the last few months gathering every information she could to figure out this mystery. She asked Dot to send newspapers from Melbourne, Mac sent encrypted telegrams about her murder cases, she even exchanged letters with Aunt P to keep up with gossips of the higher society. She knew or at least she hoped that Jack had a damn good reason to keep her away. It had to be a matter of life and death or else… or else Jack Robinson wasn’t the man she thought he was. A man who wouldn’t betray her like that, not after all the things they have been through.  
‘Hurry up, Annie.’ She said. ‘I want to leave as soon as possible.’ She pulled on breeches, a warm jersey and boots. As she reached for her leather jacket, she felt the excitement about something was finally happening and she was one step closer to solve the mystery of Jack Robinson.


	3. Miss Fisher goes to the opera

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recommend you to read my other fanfic, "Out of Breath" to completely understand the relationship between Phryne and Henry Stokes. He is also a fictional charachter from an Australian tv show, "Underbelly-Squizzy" played by our favourite Nathan Page. In this show Mr Page impersonate a bad guy who doesn't respect the law at all. His charachter is wicked, powerful and dangerous. Can you imagine what would happen if he would meet Phryne Fisher?

Only 2 weeks later Phryne was sipping her well-deserved Martini on her favourite armchair at Wardlow. Dot was sitting in front of her, trying to find a comfortable position which wasn’t easy in her condition. Her belly was so enormous that she felt it could burst at any time.  
‘Oh, for Goodness’ Sake, Dot, stop squirming, it makes me awfully nervous.’ Phryne said indignantly.   
‘Sorry, Miss…’ Dot said ashamed.   
‘That’s quite alright, Dot.’ Phryne soothed. ‘Why don’t you lay down on the sofa instead?’  
‘Thank you, Miss but I don’t think it would make any difference.’ She sighed as she tried to sit still. Her baby just started kicking and not in a pleasant way. ‘I hope it will be over soon. I don’t even remember the time when I saw my feet.’ She sighed.  
‘Something tells me that the hardest part is just about to come.’ Phryne smiled. She was awfully happy for Dot even if she didn’t understand why anyone would want to have children. ‘But I’m pretty sure you will handle it great, just like everything in your life.’ She squeezed her hand and smiled at her reassuringly.   
‘Thank you, Miss.’ Dot blushed. She was very nervous about having a baby and she was grateful to have Miss Fisher back. Even if she knew she wasn’t the main reason why she came back to Melbourne. ‘Uhm…I found out a few things about Antonio Strano as you asked, Miss.’ Dot pulled out her notes. ‘I’m afraid it’s not much.’ Phryne straightened in her chair; she was all ears. ‘It seems that he was released because the police didn’t gather enough evidence of his guiltiness.’ Phryne rolled her eyes. When you are a head of a criminal organization, you are rarely there on the crime scene or actually committing a crime. Therefore, it is difficult to prove anything against you.  
‘I thought the police had witnesses.’ Phryne sipped her Martini thoughtfully.  
‘Unfortunately, they all disappeared or died before the trial.’ Dot answered.  
‘How convenient for Papa Antonio.’ Phryne rolled her eyes again. She wasn’t too surprised. This was how the mafia worked. There were always some people outside the prison who took care of the important members.  
‘What about the son, Vincenzo?’ She asked.  
‘He is dead, Miss.’ Dot said gloomily. ‘He was hanged for the murder of Nonna Luisa.’   
‘But he didn’t murder her!’ Phryne cried. ‘It was her own granddaughter who poisoned her with mushrooms.’  
‘He took all the blame for his love.’ Dot started searching for a handkerchief. She was very sensitive lately. Her mother claimed it was hormonal.  
‘And his father let him?’ Phryne found this difficult to believe.  
‘I don’t think he had a choice, Miss. He was in prison too and his son was quite determined to save Marianna.’ Dot answered after she blew her nose.  
‘You’re probably right about that, Dot.’ Phryne nodded slowly. ‘What happened to her?’  
‘She and her father disappeared.’ Dot ran through her notes. ‘They were probably afraid of the Camorra’s revenge.’  
‘They had every reason, I must add.’ Phryne said bitterly. She was hoping that Marianna and Guido are somewhere safe, far away from all these mess. They both deserved a second chance in life.  
‘I’m afraid, that was all I could find out, Miss.’ Dot said while she was making another attempt to find a comfortable position on Phryne’s elegant sofa. ‘The police were rather secretive.’  
‘That’s all right, Dot.’ Phryne waved wearily. ‘I was about to visit Jack Robinson anyway.’ She stood up.  
‘Uhm…’ Dot made a helpless face. ‘Before you do, Miss, there is something else, you need to know about.’ She said seriously and struggled wearily to her feet.  
‘What is it, Dot?’ Phryne asked rather impatiently. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for more surprises about the Inspector. Dot didn’t say a thing, just showed Phryne the newspaper on the telephone table.  
‘Oh, dear me.’ Phryne had to sit down after she read through the short news.  
‘It only happened a week ago, while you were on your journey, Miss.’ Dot was folding her hands nervously. ‘Hugh and I were obviously devastated.’  
‘Do you know, why?’ Phryne asked while she was reading the short article repeatedly.  
‘Something about his relationship with the organized crime…’ Dot muttered.  
Phryne didn’t say anything, just nodded wearily. Naturally, the police wasn’t fond of the idea that a high ranked policeman marries the daughter of the head of the mafia. They decided to get rid of Jack and after many years of service and hard work, he was fired. “What are you up to, Jack?” Phryne asked to herself. She was only hoping that all these things would worth it in the end.  
‘What are you planning to do now, Miss?’ Dot asked softly.  
Phryne sighed as she turned the paper to the culture section. Suddenly her eyes brightened like every time she figured out something. ‘I’m going to the opera.’ She announced it cheerfully. ‘Traviata is on the menu.’

Phryne elegantly got out of the taxi of Cec and Bert in front of the theatre. She didn’t want her brand new green silk evening dress to crease so she took the back seats with Dot this time. She welcomed the appreciative gazes and the excited bustle around herself and headed for the main door. As she took off her fur coat, everyone could admire her slim figure and naked back.   
‘Do you want me to fetch a scarf, Miss? Aren’t you cold?’ Dot asked innocently.  
‘I’m feeling great, Dot, thank you.’ She answered cheerfully as she took her companion’s arm. She was quite sure that Dot was implying that her dress was too provocative and showing too much skin for this event, but she didn’t know that that was exactly Phryne’s purpose.  
It was almost impossible to get a ticket for the Traviata in such short notice, but Phryne had good connections and she could take her place in a private box now. From there she had a great view to the stage and more importantly the auditorium. She took her opera glasses and started to survey the hall.  
‘Are you looking for someone, Miss?’ Dot asked curiously as she opened a big box of sweets and bonbons. Her mistress didn’t tell the reason behind their visit, but she had a feeling that she wanted to meet someone here.  
‘I just wanted to make sure that a friend of mine is still a fan of Verdi.’ She said lightly. ‘Looks like he is.’ She put down the glasses triumphantly. ‘I’ll be back, Dot, don’t eat the whole box.’ She sprang up and rushed out before her astonished companion could say anything.  
She found the door she was looking for quite fast. Two tough-looking men stood guard.  
‘What are you up to, Ma’am?’ One of them stopped her as she wanted to enter.  
‘I’d like to speak with your boss.’ Phryne answered lightly.  
‘He is busy.’ The grumpy guard answered sternly.  
‘Trust me, he will have time for me.’ Phryne said rather suggestively, and the two guards shared a puzzled expression.  
‘He said, no one could disturb him.’ Finally, they said.  
‘Well, I assume, you don’t want to lose your jobs, fellows.’ Phryne said kindly and the two guards only shook their head. ‘Then you have to let me in. If your boss finds out that you didn’t let Phryne Fisher in, he will be furious.’   
The guards now looked anxiously at her. They were clearly terrified of their boss, but they still didn’t move, and the opera was about to begin.   
‘What if I say I forced you to let me in?’ She asked sweetly as she took out her pistol from her handbag. The guards wanted to reach for their weapons too, but she stopped them. ‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you.’ Phryne said threateningly when she heard a familiar voice from behind the curtain.  
‘What the hell, Bill? I thought I was clear when I said I needed peace and quiet.’ Henry Stokes stopped talking as he glanced at Phryne. ‘Well, well, well, look who is here, the famous lady detective, Phryne Fisher herself.’ He stared at Phryne out of countenance.  
‘Hello Henry.’ She greeted him boldly. ‘It’s been a while…’  
‘Come back, Henry. It starts any minute.’ They heard a high-pitched female voice from inside. Henry rolled his eyes.  
‘I’m afraid you have to leave now Frankie darling.’ Henry announced without batting an eye. ‘Something came up.’ As he said that, an upset young woman appeared in front of Phryne, although her age was hard to tell because of the strong makeup she was wearing.   
‘It doesn’t look too important to me.’ She said sardonically.   
‘Because you don’t have eyes for business, darling.’ Henry soothed her. ‘Just be a good girl and leave. I’ll call you soon.’  
‘But I don’t want to go.’ She was whining.   
‘Oh, for God’s Sake!’ Phryne interrupted. ‘Have some spine, girl.’ She took out her ticket from her handbag. ‘Here.’ She put it in the stunned Frances’ hand. ‘Take my place. Tell my companion that I sent you. She will give you chocolate and champagne. And please watch the play carefully because you can actually learn from it a lot.’ The young woman gave Phryne a puzzled look. Phryne stepped a little bit closer to her. ‘People won’t respect you, darling of you don’t respect yourself.’ She took out a business card from her handbag and gave her. ‘Find something you are good at and I will help you with it. I promise you don’t have to depend on any man from now on.’ Phryne nodded towards Henry meaningfully. Frances stared at the card for a while then she looked at Phryne with wet eyes.  
‘Thank you. Ma’am.’ She said bluntly.  
‘Now say goodbye to your lover and don’t ever look for him again. He can’t give you what you need.’ Phryne put her hands on the shoulders of the young woman. As she looked at her, Phryne noticed tears and gratitude in her dark brown eyes. Phryne was probably the first person who genuinely cared about her. After a while Frances nodded and turned towards Henry.  
‘Goodbye, Henry.’ She said quietly and she walked away. Leaving behind the stunned Henry Stokes and the satisfied Phryne Fisher. Suddenly Henry grabbed Phryne’s wrist and dragged her into his private box. The opera has just started, and he had to keep his voice down to not draw attention to himself too much.  
‘No one can talk to me like that.’ He hissed as he pushed down Phryne on a chair.  
‘Well, you shouldn’t talk to a woman like that either.’ She replied as she freed her wrists from Henry’s grab. ‘I know you like to think of yourself as a powerful man, but you can’t treat a woman like garbage.’   
They heard the familiar music of the Overture as they stared at each other like two wild animals. Their faces were only inches away and as Phryne looked in Henry’ eyes, it came suddenly to her mind that Henry Stokes’ blue eyes are very familiar to Jack’s. Except that Henry’s eyes are cold and sometimes cruel and Jack’s eyes are full of warmth and love.  
‘Will you tell me what was so important that you ruined my date?’ Henry suddenly asked rather rudely, and he reached for his cigar. ‘I thought you placed your business to England.’  
‘I did but I have still connections in Melbourne.’ Phryne answered lightly. She knew she had to handle Henry carefully. One bad move and she can end up on the bottom of the Yarra.  
‘Connections, of course.’ He snorted rather sardonically. ‘I’m actually not that surprised about your sudden appearance, darling.’ Phryne didn’t answer just waited for Henry to tell more. But Henry Stokes was a cautious man. ‘I’m afraid I can’t tell you anything. You’ve already chosen your side a while ago even when I begged you to stay with me.’ He added bitterly.   
Phryne knew he was right. The last time she saw Henry, she had to make a decision. She knew she couldn’t be a lover of a well-known criminal if she wanted Jack later on in her life. Even if Henry Stokes had a special place in her heart, she had to release him. She could have many other lovers but there was only one Jack Robinson.  
‘It’s good to see that your taste of the opera didn’t change.’ Phryne changed the hurtful subject. Henry’s face smoothed a little. He stroked his hair and gave her a half smile. Phryne liked that side of him, but she couldn’t forget how cruel he was only a few minutes ago.  
‘Traviata has always been my favorite.’ He glanced at the stage where Alfredo’s just confessed his love for Violetta in a beautiful baritone tone. ‘She reminds me of someone I used to know.’ He looked at Phryne meaningfully.  
‘She is quite good.’ Phryne changed the subject. ‘Not a Melba, of course but her voice is quite unique.’ She looked at Henry who was still looking at her with his blue eyes. Suddenly he took her hand and started to caress her palm with his long and strong fingers. It reminded her how much she missed the touch of a man, but she could only think of Jack right now.  
‘Why are you here?’ Now his voice was gentle and calm.  
‘I think you know exactly why.’ She answered and gently pulled away from Henry’s touch.  
‘I heard rumors and now I know it was true.’ He took a pause and reached for the champagne bottle, but he only poured drink for himself.   
‘Will you tell me about it?’ Phryne asked cautiously. Henry chuckled. He was obviously enjoying the situation.  
‘Don’t play games with me, Phryne dear. You are not here because you missed my charming company.’ He looked at Phryne with cold eyes. ‘You are here again because of that policeman of yours. He changed side, he is a criminal now just like myself.’ He snorted sardonically. Phryne tried to hide her emotions in front of Henry but deep down her heart was beating violently as soon as he mentioned Jack.  
‘Looks like I made a bad deal.’ She said innocently then waited for the effect.   
‘But that’s not why you’re here.’ Henry studied her face thoughtfully.  
‘Not exactly.’ Phryne answered seriously and paused a little. ‘I heard that Antonio Strano could walk out free from prison.’  
‘That old bastard.’ He snorted. ‘He has at least nine lives.’   
‘Are you not surprised?’  
‘Not really.’ He shrugged. ‘He has a couple of friends who could help him with that. Why are you interested in old Papa Antonio?’ Phryne took a deep breath before she answered. This had to be the turning point of her conversation with Henry Stokes. She heard the aria of Violetta from the background: Sempre libera (always free).  
‘Because I think the Italians are up to something.’ She answered seriously. She discovered interest in Henry’s eyes.  
‘I have no business with them.’ He answered. ‘Verdi is the only Italian who I have a relationship with.’ He said jokingly but Phryne knew he was hiding something. She decided to take a risk.  
‘Fine, I’m leaving then.’ She stood up elegantly so Henry could admire her perfect figure through the thin silk material of her gorgeous dress. She took her time on the way back so she can show that her dress was completely backless leaving her snow-white back free all the way to her hips.  
‘Actually.’ Suddenly she heard Henry’s voice. ‘You could help me with something.’ Phryne turned around slowly before she answered.  
‘Oh yes?’ She asked innocently. Henry nodded resignedly and poured a glass of champagne to her. Phryne took it with a wide smile. The first Act has just ended, and he pulled back the curtain of his box before he started to talk again.  
‘I’m quite sure you are right about the dagos, Phryne.’ He said seriously. Now his face was businesslike. Phryne decided to let him speak without interrupting. ‘A few weeks ago, they appeared on my doorstep with five boxes of grappa. They claimed they wanted to do business with me.’  
‘And you?’  
‘I must say it was a hell of a good grappa.’ Henry nodded appreciatively. ‘And they offered a good price for it. But something was fishy about this whole thing. They were too pushy.’  
‘Did you refuse the business?’ Phryne asked eagerly.   
‘Not yet.’ He shook his head and lit another cigar. ‘I have a feeling that there must be something else behind all these. I heard rumors that the dagos would like to expand their territory.’ That sounded like an interesting piece of information for Phryne.  
‘How can I help?’ She asked.  
‘I just want to do your job and snoop around a little.’ He said.  
‘I thought you had people for that.’  
‘But none of them look so steamy in silk like you do, my darling.’ He gave Phryne a charming half smile which would have taken her off her feet at any time, but not tonight. ‘There will be an event this Saturday in Papa Antonio’s residence which I was invited to with my partner. Since you chase off my hopeful partner…’  
‘Fine, I’ll do it.’ Phryne said firmly. This soiree sounded like a perfect occasion to make some investigation after the Stranos.  
‘Excellent.’ Henry gave her a wide smile.  
‘But I won’t do it for free.’   
‘I assume you want some information about your policeman.’ Henry raised an eyebrow. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’  
‘Thank you, Henry.’ Phryne squeezed his hand and she saw his face smoothen again.   
‘Will you sit with me and watch the play?’ Henry asked in a charming voice which brought Phryne back to the time when they were laying together liberated and satisfied. In the background the second Act just began, and she heard Alfredo singing about love and happiness. As much as she would have enjoyed a company of a strong and devilishly good-looking man, she knew she had to leave.  
‘I’ve seen it a thousand-time, Henry. We know how it will end.’ Phryne nodded towards the stage. ‘See you on Saturday.’ She said and headed towards the exit.   
‘He will get married in two weeks.’ She heard Henry’s cruel voice from behind. Phryne froze. She felt like her heart stopped beating and her legs didn’t work anymore. She had to gather all her strength to walk away. She didn’t want to give Henry the satisfaction to see how hurtful it was to hear that. Maybe Jack Robinson wasn’t the man she thought he was after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! There is more to come tomorrow! To stay update, you can follow my IG site: agika_lostinmfmm


	4. The woman in the Carnival mask

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phryne joins the masquerade at the Strano's residence. Will she finally meet Jack? How would he react on her return to Melbourne? Do they still have a chance to be together as a couple?

A few days later Dot helped Phryne to get ready for the grand soiree in Papa Antonio’s villa. As she carefully smoothed down Phryne’s deep purple evening dress and put on a gorgeous diamond necklace on her alabaster neck, her mind was full of concern.  
‘Are you sure is this a wise thing, Miss?’ She asked carefully.  
‘Clever or not, this is my only option, Dot.’ Her mistress answered lightly as she mustered herself in the mirror with satisfaction. She lost a couple of weight since she came back to Melbourne and Dot had to fix this dress for her slimmer figure. Now it looked perfect as it fitted tightly on her slim waist and round hips.  
‘What if someone recognizes you, Miss? Isn’t it a welcome party of this awful man?’ She asked with concern as she rubbed her waist. The baby was kicking hard again, and she felt that his or her time was getting closer.  
‘You don’t need to worry about that, Dot.’ She smiled at her and jumped to her commode where she kept her special accessories. A few moments later she pulled out a mask triumphantly from one of the drawers. She placed it on front of her face as she turned towards her companion. Dot has never seen anything like it before.   
Its color had almost the same shade of white like her skin and it covered her face entirely, only her eyes could be seen through two holes. Even her lips were covered, and its place was colored by ruby red. Dot now knew why Phryne insisted this particular dress that she was wearing. The beautiful lace pattern, which ran around the holes for the eyes and the silk and feathers decoration, perfectly matched with the purple color of the evening dress.  
‘What a stunning piece this is, Miss.’ Dot said with sincere amazement.  
‘Thank you, Dot.’ Phryne smiled now without the mask. ‘It’s an original carnival mask from Venice.’ She looked at the mask with dreamy eyes. Dot had a feeling that there was a story behind this. ‘Fortunately, the Camorra loves Masquerades. It makes sense if you think about it.’   
‘So, everyone will be in mask?’  
‘That’s right, Dot.’ She answered and she reached for her lipstick. ‘But just in case…’ She murmured as she colored her lips. Dot had no idea why she wanted to put on makeup if her face would be totally covered.   
‘You never said anything about your opinion of Frances.’ Suddenly she asked.  
‘Who, Miss?’ Dot asked with a puzzled expression.  
‘You know, Frances. The girl from the Opera.’ Phryne turned to Dot. ‘The young woman I sent to our box.’  
‘I’m afraid I didn’t meet anyone there, Miss.’ Dot said and started rubbing her tummy. She had a discomforted feeling again. Phryne studied her with frowned eyes for a while.  
‘Don’t worry about it, Dot.’ She shook her hand dismissively. ‘Lay down, I’ll ask Mr Butler to prepare something to eat.’  
‘Thank you, Miss.’ Dot sighed. ‘Do you need anything else, Miss?’  
‘That was all, Dot.’ Phryne studied her companion with concern. She had a feeling that she can welcome baby Collins very soon. ‘Eat your dinner, go home and rest. Cec and Bert will give you a lift.’  
‘Are you sure, Miss?’ Dot asked as she lay down and Phryne put pillow under her legs.  
‘Absolutely.’ Phryne placed a lipstick kiss on Dot’s forehead. She didn’t want to involve her pregnant friend in her business right now. She wasn’t sure how this night might end, and she didn’t want to take any risk.

The Strano residence was a huge Art deco building in little Italy. It was a little too ostentatious for Phryne’s taste though. One could tell that Papa Antonio’s restaurant wasn’t the only source of his revenue. A butler welcomed her and Henry at the grand entrance.   
‘I think it’s time to put our mask on if you don’t wish to be recognized, darling.’ Henry whispered to Phryne as he pulled out a devil mask from his coat.   
‘It suits you well.’ Phryne snorted as she watched Henry putting on his mask. Apart from the snarling devil’s head and erecting horns, she could only see his blue eyes which were almost identical with Jack’s. She felt her hand was shaking a little as she put on her carnival mask too. Jack was probably in that building right now and she was about to meet him.  
The huge marble entrance hall was already crowded with excited guests. Phryne spotted Papa Antonio almost immediately. He was the only one who didn’t wear a mask. He was standing next to a naked bronze sculpture, engaged with a deep conversation with a few tough looking men.  
‘Let’s say hello to our freshly released host.’ Henry gently pushed Phryne’s butt in the direction of Papa Antonio. She placed his hand firmly a little bit higher.  
‘I thought this evening supposed to be strictly business.’ She said playfully. She would have lied if she’d said that he didn’t like Henry’s touch, but it felt disturbingly wrong.  
‘It doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves.’ He said in a charmingly deep voice. His devil mask perfectly fitted with his smiling blue eyes. “How easy would be to fall for this man…” She thought.  
‘Let’s just stick to business.’ She answered sternly.  
‘Spoilsport.’ Henry murmured as they reached Papa Antonio.  
One of the tough looking men whispered something in Papa Antonio’s ear before he greeted them.  
‘Mr Stokes, if I’m not mistaken.’ He stepped to Henry and shook his hand. He lost a few pounds, and his face was a little bit flabbier than the last time Phryne saw him but there was still ruthlessness in his eyes.  
‘Thank you for your invite, Mr Strano.’ Henry greeted him politely.  
‘My pleasure, Sir.’ He said and glanced at Phryne. ‘And you have company.’   
‘I’m afraid she doesn’t speak our language.’ Henry stepped in before Phryne could say anything. ‘She’s just moved to Melbourne a few weeks ago.’  
‘She is pretty and doesn’t understand a thing. Probably the perfect woman.’ He laughed on his own joke loudly while he was staring shamelessly at Phryne’s breasts. Phryne felt sick and had to bite her lip to not insult him. Henry didn’t answer just glanced at Phryne worriedly. He was quite aware that his lady partner was just about to punch their host.   
‘Anyway, I see you later in the library, Mr Stokes.’ Papa Antonio said in a more serious tone. They both nodded. The obligatory curtesy was officially over. Henry took gently Phryne’s hand and pulled her away.   
‘Now it’s your turn, darling.’ He whispered as they found a quiet place where no one can overhear their conversation. ‘Papa Antonio will be busy with business meeting for a while, so you can search through his office. Just make sure, nobody will follow you.’  
‘Don’t worry about that. This is my job after all.’ Phryne said. ‘Meet me after the meeting. If I won’t be here, you have to leave as soon as you can.’ Henry nodded but his blue eyes were full of concern.  
‘See you later.’ He squeezed her hand reassuringly then joined the masquerade.  
Phryne was about to move too when a familiar voice stopped her.  
‘I don’t like this, Gianni.’ She heard Concetta’s worried voice. Phryne’s heart skipped a beat. She remembered Concetta calling Jack Gianni. She stepped closer carefully to the source of the voice, but she didn’t dare to turn around.  
‘This is the only way.’ Phryne heard the man, Concetta was talking to. She was quite sure she would recognize this velvety deep voice anywhere. It was Jack’s. She felt a tingling sensation all over her body as soon as she heard him talking. The band has just started to play louder, and she couldn’t overhear the whole conversation, but she was quite sure they were arguing about something. She was about to move even closer when suddenly the murmuring stopped, and she heard that someone is getting closer to her.  
He was wearing an elegant tuxedo and a silver and deep blue mask which only covered half of his face, like the Phantom of Opera. As he passed her, she could admire his gorgeous profile which made her legs trembling like jelly. Suddenly he stopped next to her and looked directly at her with an unbelieving face. Phryne was still wearing her mask, but something told her that he recognized her anyway.  
She was waiting for this moment for so long. She didn’t even invite any other man in her budoir since the day she left him on the airfield to fly far away to another country. She dreamed about him every single night she spent alone in her bed and now he was here. He looked more dashing than ever; his gorgeous blue eyes were sparkling from the sudden recognition as he was staring at her.  
Jack was still upset by the conversation with his fiancé. He hated that he couldn’t tell her the main reason why he had to engage her, even if Concetta didn’t mind he was keeping secrets from her. He was trying to protect her but now it felt like he put her in a more dangerous position. He needed to act quickly. He knew that Papa Antonio would have business meeting where he wasn’t invited because he wasn’t a member of the inner circle. He still didn’t earn the Capo’s trust and the clock was ticking. He decided to take the short way and search through the office while the meeting lasted.  
The only problem was that he was followed by the Camorra since the day he announced his engagement with Concetta. As soon as he approached the section, which was closed from the guest, one of the tough men appeared next to him.  
‘What are you doing?’ He asked rudely in a strong Italian accent.  
‘I was looking for…’ Jack started to explain himself when he heard Concetta’s voice next to him.  
‘Thank you, darling, I found it.’ She took Jack’s arm and touched her earring. ‘Don’t worry, Paolo, he was only looking for my earring. I thought, I lost it in the powder room but luckily I found it hitched in my mask.’ She pointed at her beautiful handmade lace mask.  
‘That’s allright, Signorina.’ Paolo nodded. He was probably intimidated by his boss’ daughter. ‘May I ask you to join the other guests?’ His voice was now polite and sounded like he was singing.   
‘Of course.’ Concetta nodded and smiled widely at the man then she shepherded Jack to a quiet room.  
‘What is going on, Gianni?’ She whispered questioningly but Jack gave her no answer. ‘Alright, you won’t tell me. Then let me help you.’ She touched Jack’s hand gently, but he pulled himself away with a big sigh.  
‘I can’t, it’s too dangerous.’ He said sternly but Concetta stayed persistent. Jack sighed deeply. He needed a good diversion to get into the office and his fiancé seemed like his only option for that. Of course, she wasn’t fond of the idea, especially that Jack didn’t tell her the whole story.   
‘Fine, I’ll do it.’ She said resignedly after a long speech of all her concerns. ‘But you have to be as fast as you can because I don’t know how much time I can save for you.’   
‘Thank you.’ Jack patted her shoulder before he left the room with energetic steps. Concetta looked after him for a while. It broke her heart that the man she was deeply in love with was always so close to her physically but far away spiritually. She would do literally anything to end this fake engagement soon.  
Jack surveyed the room for Paolo. It seemed he was assigned to keep an eye on him tonight. He spotted him under a huge Mancini portrait. He didn’t take his eyes of him as Jack started to walk to the other direction. He planned to shake off his unwelcomed shadow by disappearing in the crowd when he felt a familiar scent next to him that made him stopped.  
Many ladies used this particular fragrance but none of them could wear it like Phryne Fisher. It was fresh like she has just had a bath but also warm like she was sitting next to the fireplace. But there was a third fraction that drove Jack crazy. The scent of Lavender and Jasmine on her skin magnetized him and made her irresistible. As he turned around and saw the thin figure in the most seductive dress he has seen tonight so far, he knew perfectly well who was behind the purple carnival mask.  
He didn’t know exactly how long he stood there and stared at her in disbelief. There were so many things he wanted to tell her and many things he knew he couldn’t. He froze by the tsunami of thoughts when something interrupted the moment. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Concetta walking to Paolo and she glanced at Jack significantly. Jack knew he couldn’t waste another moment, but he couldn’t bear the thought of losing Phryne again. He took a big sigh and turned towards the woman in the carnival mask again, but she wasn’t there anymore.  
“I’m being delusional.” He thought to himself. He knew this happens often to people who lost someone important in their life. Sometimes he could still see his old comrades on the street or even his grandmother in a backseat of a car. If you miss someone in your heart, your brain can play cruel games in your head.  
He glanced at Concetta who made an urgent gesture towards him. He had to take advantage of the time when his bodyguard was distracted by his fiancé.  
All of Phryne’s cartilage protested to leave behind Jack but she knew she didn’t have other options. If she would have revealed herself for him that would have jeopardized her mission tonight and she wouldn’t have been able to help him in whatever mess he was in right now.  
As Jack turned away, she took the opportunity and disappeared in the crowd. It took some time to find Papa Antonio’s office in the big house. It was the only room which was closed. She pulled out her lock pick from her décolletage and soon she was inside. She found herself in a small but elegantly furnished room. In the middle there was a giant antique hand carved Italian wooden desk. Phryne decided to start the searching there.   
She found nothing special in the drawers apart from some papers of the restaurant. There was nothing notable on the bookshelves either, just some dusty old books. Except that one of the books wasn’t dusty at all. It was an old copy of Bocaccio’s Dekameron. Phryne pulled out the book carefully, but nothing happened. She opened it in the hope she might find some secret messages in it but apart from some lined underlined she didn’t find anything suspicious. It was probably just a book that Papa Antonio liked to read. She sighed and looked at the desk again.  
It made her remember the time she spent in Italy. She had a quick affair with an Italian Marquis who not only showed her his great talent in bed but also his collection of antiques. This desk looked exactly like one particular piece of his collection which was one of his favorites. The desk was already magnificent per se, but it had an extra feature, a secret storage. This might not sound very special at first, because most of the office desks had one but in the case of this desk was quite difficult to find. You had to push at certain points at the same time to open it and the dear Marquis told Phryne how to.   
She took a deep breath as she recalled the demonstration of her former lover. As she stroked her fingers along the hard wooden surface, she felt the two points’ smoother area. She pushed it softly and the secret storage appeared immediately. “Thank you, Luca.” She murmured the name of her lover as she took out its content triumphantly. She was quite sure she found that she was looking for. She started to read through the papers. “Oh, my Goodness.” She murmured.  
Suddenly she heard steps heading towards the office. She needed to act quickly. She tucked back the papers where she found them and jumped to the long and heavy blackout curtains. It would have been a perfect hiding place if it would have been already occupied by someone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the nice comments and kudos! You have no idea how much it means for me. Don't forget, I will post another chapter tomorrow! Visit my IG page for more: agika_lostinmfmm


	5. Behind the curtain

Before Phryne could even let out a surprised cry, strong fingers pressed against her mouth under her mask and she was pulled closer behind the curtain. Her first instinct was to bite her attacker’s fingers as strong as she could but then she felt something that changed her mind. It was the combination of a familiar scent and the body that she was nuzzled so close to that she could feel an intense heartbeat. She had been daydreaming about this person for months, but she always imagined a more intimate situation with less clothes. They stayed like that for while motionless and eagerly waiting for what would happen on the other side of the curtain.   
After the door opened, Phryne heard energetic steps of two men. They sat down around the heavy oak table and began to talk. Phryne was only hoping that she could put everything back in order and the cheerfully chatting two men did not want to talk for hours. She felt that Jack released his fingers from her mouth slowly, but she didn’t dare to move. The space was so narrow behind the curtain that even a little movement could reveal their hiding place. So, she stayed sticking tightly to Jack’s muscular body. “It could be worse.” She thought.  
As she listened to the two men’s conversation, Phryne recognized Papa Antontio’s rumbling but she didn’t know who his partner was. They both talked in Italian and it seemed like they were in a confidential relationship.  
‘That is settled then.’ She heard Papa Antonio’s sigh and judging by the squeaking noises, he leaned back in his chair.  
‘You’ve done it well, boss.’ The other man commented. His voice was deep, but he sounded like a young man. If Phryne wouldn’t know that Vincenzo was dead, she would have guessed it was him.  
‘We must act quickly.’ She heard Papa Antonio’s thoughtful voice. ‘Before Stokes begin to suspect anything. Is everything ready for the fireworks?’   
‘We are just waiting for your order, Sir.’ The younger voice answered cheerfully.  
‘Good. I assume the wedding would be an appropriate distraction.’ Phryne’s heart skipped a beat on the mention of the wedding but the future husband behind her didn’t even tremble.   
‘Are you seriously giving your daughter to a damn copper?’ She heard the stunned voice of the young man. The “copper” behind Phryne still didn’t move.  
‘He’s not a copper anymore.’ Papa Antonio’s voice sounded neutral and distant.  
‘Sorry, boss, it is none of my business.’ The young man said apologetically but Phryne could tell he was still not satisfied.  
‘Thank you, son.’ Hearing that, Phryne’s head started spinning but she didn’t have time to think about the possible importance of this word because Papa Antonio continued talking. ‘I wouldn’t say I don’t share your feelings about Jack. But we must be very careful. I’ve just came out from prison; I can’t draw attention to myself with another murder.’ He said the word lightly like he was talking about an ordinary thing, but it froze the blood in Phryne’s veins.   
‘Don’t worry about it, boss. I will handle it.’ She heard the self-satisfied, young voice again. ‘It would look like an accident.’ Phryne started to feel sick and her limbs tingled from stillness. The two men were talking about murdering like they were discussing the daily weather.  
‘But you have to do it after the wedding.’ Papa Antonio’s voice became thoughtful again. ‘Otherwise, it would be suspicious.’  
‘As you wish.’ The young voice was cheerful.   
‘Besides, this wedding will be a good opportunity to cut out Stokes.’ Papa Antonio said and Phryne heard the squeaking of the chair again. ‘One week and we will be the kings of Melbourne.’ The young man didn’t answer but Phryne heard the stuttering of two crystal glasses. After a short silence Papa Antonio’s chair squeaked again. The Capo has just stood up. ‘Let’s go back to the ball before people start wondering.’ They didn’t say anything else. Phryne heard the tapping glasses on the oak desk then the closing of the door and the rotation of the lock. They were alone again.  
She let out a big sigh that she kept inside herself in the last twenty minutes. She felt that Jack released as well but they were still standing behind the curtain, pressed at each other like hiding lovers. His heavy breathing tickled her neck, and she felt his muscular torso against her back. As much as pleasant was their current position, Phryne knew they had to move quickly before Papa Antonio might come back. She stepped out from the cover of the curtain and jumped to the desk without turning towards Jack, but she could still feel his gaze.  
‘What are you doing? We must leave quickly.’ He hissed. Phryne didn’t react, just pushed the buttons of the secret storage to reveal. She waved its content triumphantly towards Jack.   
‘I assume you were searching for the same.’ She handed over the documents. As Jack started to read it, his handsome face stiffened a little. At least the part of his face which wasn’t covered by mask.  
‘Nice costume, by the way.’ She said mischievously and stepped closer to him. She reached out her arm to touch the costume in question, but her movement stopped halfway.  
‘Welcome back, Miss Fisher.’ Jack murmured without looking up the papers.  
Before Phryne could snap Jack’s greeting with another witty comment, they heard the careful opening of the lock again, but this time they didn’t have time to hide. Phryne touched her pistol in her tiny handbag as she was waiting for the door to open. It opened ajar and they saw Concetta’s flushed face appearing in the gap.  
As she caught a glimpse of the two of them, standing closer than appropriate to each other, her face reflected a momentary surprise, but she didn’t comment Phryne’s present.  
‘Gianni, you have to leave quickly. Paolo is on his way upstairs.’ She talked rapidly; her face was full of concern. Phryne saw that her love towards Jack didn’t change a bit with time. She had to gulp to free her throat from the bile of jealousy.   
Jack didn’t say a thing just tucked back the papers back to the secret storage of the desk and made a leap to the door. Phryne followed him. They let out a relieved sigh as the door closed behind them but when they turned around, they faced Jack’s shadow, aka Paolo.  
‘Cosa sta succedendo qui? What’s happening here?’ He asked raising one of his fury eyebrows. Phryne was about to snap out herself of the awkward situation in her usual charming style but then she remembered that she didn’t suppose to understand a word. She bit her lower lip as Concetta stepped forward and started speaking in Italian. Her voice was soft and melodic, and its tone was much different from when she spoke in English.  
‘Nulla di cui preoccuparsi, Paolo. Nothing to worry about.’ She said sweetly. ‘I was looking for my fiancé and I found him here. He was showing this lady the house.’  
‘Sounds quite inappropriate for an engaged gentleman.’ Paolo raised his eyebrow again suspiciously but Concetta let out a loud laugh.  
‘She is his Cousin, you fool.’ She laughed. Phryne glanced at Jack and now she was sure that he didn’t understand a word of the Italians.   
‘It’s nice to meet you, Miss.’ Paolo said to Phryne in broken English. Phryne decided that a polite nod would be an appropriate answer to that. ‘I’m afraid I have to borrow your Cousin, Miss. Mr Strano would like to see you downstairs. Both of you.’ He looked at Jack meaningfully. Concetta nodded and accepted Paolo’s chubby arms. Phryne and Jack followed them a little behind.  
‘If anyone asks, I don’t speak English or any other languages that Papa Antonio might know.’ Phryne whispered to Jack as she hooked on his arms. Her knees trembled a little as she felt his closeness again but the sight of the woman walking in front of them sobered her a little.  
‘I don’t know why you are here, Miss Fisher, but you have to leave right now. I’ll figure out an excuse later.’ Jack’s profile stiffed like every time he was tense. ‘You have no idea what you got yourself into.’ He still didn’t look at Phryne and his voice was dismissive.   
‘I’m starting to think that you don’t know that either.’ Phryne answered cruelly. She didn’t like the way that Jack was talking to her. ‘Did you understand what Papa Antonio said in his office?’   
Jack didn’t answer just bit his lower lip. Phryne’s suspicions were confirmed. Despite his Italian fiancé, he didn’t understand Italian much. She stopped him and looked around. The guests were not allowed to come here and the politely chatting Concetta and Paolo didn’t notice their sudden disappearance, at least for now. She shepherded Jack into a small space which looked like a storage room. The two of them had just fit in it and Phryne had to rely on the cupboard full of boxes to not step on Jack’s feet. She took of her mask to see better in the dark room. Their faces were only inches away which she felt a little bit distracting. She clung on one of the shelves, suppressing the urge to throw herself into his arms. She took a big sigh and decided that there was no time of prevaricate.  
‘He wants to kill you, Jack. Right after your… your wedding.’ Her last words echoed in the small storage room as she said it with hesitation. Jack’s jaw stiffened a little. Phryne couldn’t tell if it was caused by the fact that his future father-in-law wanted to get rid of him before he could even start his honeymoon or that Phryne knew all about it.  
‘It’s none of your concerns, Miss Fisher.’ He sighed indignantly. His voice was ice cold and Phryne discovered sadness in the blue eyes.   
‘What if it is?’ Phryne leaned a little closer and gently removed Jack’s mask, revealing his dashing profile. His handsome face was now troubled and tired. ‘I came here for the same reason as you.’ For a moment it seemed that his face softened a little but when he spoke, his voice was harsh.  
‘I doubt that.’ He said without breaking the eye contact. The blue eyes drilled into Phryne’s. ‘I think you came here for the usual reason.’ He wanted to add something else too, but he bit his lower lip instead and turned his head.   
‘As a matter of fact, I was hired for an investigation.’ Phryne stood his gaze and grazed her eyes on Jack’s stunned face.  
‘By whom?’ He asked, his mouth stayed open by the surprise.  
‘Henry Stokes.’ She answered lightly with a satisfied smile in the corner of her mouth, seeing the effect of her words.  
‘What kind of business do you have with that man?’ His voice became upset. The smile on Phryne’s face became wider as she discovered jealousy. ‘He is a dangerous criminal, Phryne.’ Jack added. He said her name softly in his deep voice. Phryne had to grip the shelf harder to dampen the trembling of her body.  
‘Apparently I can tell the same about you, Jack.’ She nodded towards the door, emphasizing that she is talking about the host of the masquerade. Jack turned his head away embarrassed. Phryne continued. ‘Look, I am quite prepared to forgive you that you didn’t come to visit me despite of your promise.’ Her voice was airy, almost cheerful. Jack looked back at her; his face stiffed. ‘But I need an explanation, Jack.’ She reached out her hand to touch him, but she stopped the motion as he pulled away.  
‘I’m afraid I don’t have one, Miss Fisher.’ His voice was husky and full of sadness. Phryne studied his face for a while, hoping that he would change his mind but the walls that he has just built around himself seemed unbreakable.   
‘Well, I would be a terrible detective if I couldn’t find it out.’ She said, emphasizing the word “Detective”. She noted with pleasure that her words were on target, the ex-Detective Inspector’s jaw stiffened even more. They stared at each other for a while. The tiny room became full of tension and unsaid words. Phryne was furious but she wasn’t sure why. She wanted to slap him and kiss him at the same time. She felt like her chest was about to explode. She didn’t know it at the time, but this was what people called love.  
Suddenly the squeak of the opening door broke the silence and since there was no place to hide in the tiny storage room, quick actions were needed. Phryne grabbed Jack by her nape, pulled him closer and with her left leg hold his body in a vise. As she lifted her leg, her thigh flashed. She quickly put Jack’s hand on the naked skin and covered the faces of both of them with her mask. “Quiet.” She yawned into his face. His warm breath tickled her lips and his touch on her thigh almost burned her skin. Her body started to awake and became demanding as he felt him between her legs. She looked at his tensed and blushed face adoringly and for a second she forgot everything around her. There was only her and Jack again, just like in old times. He must have thought the same because his facial expression became from surprised to longing and couldn’t keep his eyes from her lips.  
They barely heard the housemaid’s startled scream and the slam of the door. They could only concentrate on the electricity that ran through their bodies and culminated on their lips which were almost unbearably attracted to each other like the two poles of a magnet. As Jack leaned a little closer, Phryne could feel his rapid, warm breath and she was ready to give herself to him, even if she could only have him for a short time in a tiny and dusty storage room. She pulled him even closer with her thigh and she felt his desire at the hip area. Jack looked from her lips at her eyes and suddenly her face darkened and he gulped.  
‘Phryne…’ He whispered in a hoarse voice which only intensified Phryne’s excitement. But instead of kissing her, he released her thigh like he touched fire and pulled away. ‘I can’t…’ He stuttered. ‘You shouldn’t have come here.’ He cleared his throat.  
‘But I’m here.’ She said, studying Jack’s startled face. ‘Let me help you, like I always do.’  
He looked at her thoughtfully for a while but then shook his head and opened the door.   
‘Goodbye, Miss Fisher.’ He said and left the room.  
Phryne stayed alone, still feeling Jack’s warm body around her. Loneliness struck her like a bolt of lightning. When she came here, she knew it would be difficult to see him again, but she didn’t expect evoking so much emotion in her. She let out a big sigh and smoothened her dress. She only had one week until the wedding, it was time to shake things up a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like this fic so far, I will definitely continue it after a short holiday break. Merry Christmas!


	6. Do you tango, Jack?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up on the dancefloor between Phryne and Jack. But will Jack's future wife and father-in-law will say about that?

As she stepped cautiously down the grandiose stairs, she spotted Jack and Concetta talking with Papa Antonio. Jack turned towards her, like he sensed that someone is looking at him. He gave her a nervous face and turned back. She let out a big sigh and walked confidently toward the chatting group. Suddenly a strong hand grabbed her at her elbow. She almost screamed at the sight of the horrifying devil mask.  
‘Where the hell have you been, woman?’ Henry growled. If Phryne wouldn’t have known him better, she would have thought he was worried about her.  
‘Doing my job.’ She released herself from his clench.  
‘I don’t remember suggesting fooling around with an ex-copper.’ He said bitterly and seeing Phryne’s surprised face, leaned a little closer and whispered. ‘I like to keep an eye on my employees, darling.’ Phryne didn’t answer, just followed Henry to the dance floor. She was desperately thinking about an excuse to talk to Jack as Henry put his hand on her scapula and pulled her closer. The band was playing a slow waltz.   
‘Did you find out something?’ He asked in a muffled voice. He was a good dancer but a little bit too harsh for Phryne’s taste.   
‘Maybe.’ She said and glanced at Papa Antonio’s direction. He was still talking with his daughter and Phryne saw Jack staring at her and Henry. ‘He is definitely planning something against you.’ She looked back to her partner. He nodded omnisciently.  
‘When?’ He only asked.  
‘The wedding, next week.’ She whispered in his ear which wasn’t easy because her mouth and his ear were all covered by masks. Suddenly they heard a polite cough next to them.   
‘May I?’ Jack was standing next to them with a sharp eye.  
‘I thought, you’ve had enough.’ Henry snorted but Phryne already pulled away.  
‘Of course.’ She chirped and she was already next to Jack.  
‘I’ll be at the bar, Darling.’ Henry said, emphasizing the last word meaningfully and left the dancefloor.   
Phryne happily snuggled up to Jack whose face was still stiff.   
‘I was hoping that for the first time in history you would listen to me and leave.’ He said sternly. He gently placed his hand on Phryne’s back and pulled her a little closer. The band has just started to play a new song which was bolder than waltz. Hearing the rhythm of the tango a few dancers left the floor, but Jack didn’t seem to get embarrassed. He spun Phryne easily and followed the slow beat of the music.  
‘I didn’t know you tango, Jack.’ Phryne said with surprise as she raised her leg and placed on Jack’s. He removed it with a confident move and spun her again. Afterall tango was a dance of bantering.  
‘I didn’t ask you for a dance to have a pleasant conversation, Miss Fisher.’ He said sternly but his voice trembled a little as Phryne wrapped her arms around his neck. He placed it firmly on his shoulder.   
‘Why else would you like to tango with your Cousin?’ She said sardonically and nodded towards Concetta. Jack blushed under his mask. He realized that what they are doing on the dancefloor right now doesn’t look like an innocent thing between relatives. He took Phryne and led her to the other part of the floor with confident steps.  
‘Concetta was only trying to help.’ Finally, he said. ‘The Stranos would take my head if they’d suspect me to be unfaithful.’  
‘I assume, you don’t want to lose your head anytime soon.’ The double meaning of Phryne’s words made him embarrassed a little but then he gathered himself quite quickly. He pulled her so close that she could hardly breath.   
‘You are right about that, Miss Fisher.’ He whispered in Phryne’s ear. The tickle of his warm breath was like electricity that ran through her whole body. ‘And I would appreciate if you would respect that.’ His words were cold and hurtful.  
‘You would be more convincing if your hands would be somewhere else.’ Phryne said lightly but she felt like her heart could burst out anytime. Jack removed her hands from her lower hip area so fast like he would have touched fire then spun her again, but Phryne stepped back to him and grabbed his neck passionately. She discovered with satisfaction that his jaw stiffened by her touch.  
‘You saw the documents, Jack.’ Phryne whispered. ‘People will die if we won’t do anything.’  
‘As I said, it is none of your concerns, Miss Fisher.’ He said sternly as he tilted Phryne and gently pulled back.   
‘Come on, Jack. You know me better than that.’ She said as she pressed her body against him. She could feel his heart is beating violently. ‘Also, I have Henry Stokes on my side.’  
‘Stokes…’ Jack grunted. ‘I don’t understand what you see in that guy.’  
‘I wouldn’t have to involve him if you would have filled me in from the first time.’ Phryne said and stroked Jack’s face. Jack grabbed her hand and spun her with strong arms. She spun back and leaned closer to Jack’s ear.  
‘Besides, I like his company.’ She continued. ‘At least he is not engaged to someone else.’ She already regretted what she said, but she couldn’t unsay it now. Jack released her hands and stopped dancing; his blue eyes became cold and furious.  
‘Goodbye, Miss Fisher.’ He said coldly and left without another word. Phryne wanted to follow him and apologize but she couldn’t. Her legs didn’t move.  
As she helplessly watched Jack leaving, a waitress materialized next to her with a glass of champagne. She felt awfully thirsty after the dance and desperately needed some alcohol in her system, so she gratefully accepted the drink offered and drank it all in one go while removing her mask carefully. As soon as she finished it, she felt a characteristic aftertaste. She realized; she made a mistake.  
She cursed quietly as she put back her mask and nervously looked around the ballroom. The waitress already disappeared. She couldn’t find Henry either, he probably left already with his offended male self-esteem. She glanced at Jack who was talking with his future father-in-law. She decided to risk it.   
She felt awfully dizzy already but tried to not show in front of Papa Antonio. She didn’t know what kind of sedative she got and how much time she had until it would knock her out, but she was in desperate need of an ally. She walked quietly next to Jack.  
‘Henry Stokes’ charming partner, if I’m not mistaken.’ Papa Antonio greeted her, but Phryne couldn’t tell from the look of his face if he was her poisoner or not. She returned his greeting with a polite nod. Jack gave her a nervous look, but he didn’t say anything just pulled Concetta next to him a little closer. Phryne couldn’t decide if jealousy or the poison made in her throat a terribly bitter taste. ‘And you still don’t speak English.’ Papa Antonio added.  
‘She is Jack’s sister, boss.’ Paolo meddled.   
‘Is she?’ Papa Antonio raised an eyebrow towards Jack.  
‘Actually…’ Jack coughed embarrassed and glanced again at Phryne nervously. ‘She is my Cousin from France.’ He said. ‘Que faites-vous? (What are you doing?)’ He changed to French and turned towards Phryne reprehensively. She was only hoping that Papa Antonio didn’t understand French. Jack probably figured out what she was thinking because he added: ‘You can talk freely; they don’t speak French.’  
‘Don’t panic, just smile and nod.’ Phryne spoke in French. She could hardly stand on her feet and had to grab Jack’s arm to not faint. He released Concetta and gently touched Phryne’s hand with a nod. ‘Someone poisoned me, I need to get out of here.’ She said. She felt that Jack squeezed her hand, but his face stayed calm.   
‘Sadly, I don’t speak French.’ Papa Antonio interfered suggesting it was quite unpolite that Phryne and Jack spoke an unknown language in front of their host. Also, he started being suspicious and Jack couldn’t risk that.  
‘I was just asking my Cousin about her partner.’ Jack explained still squeezing Phryne’s hand. ‘It seems that Mr Stokes entrusted her on my care.’  
‘That bastard.’ Papa Antonio snorted without sympathy. ‘I wouldn’t let men like him near my daughter.’ Phryne had to gather all her strength to suppress a sardonic laugh. True that Henry Stokes wasn’t a perfect match for a reputable young lady, but he still was a much better choice than those who were Papa Antonio’s choice for her daughter. She glanced at Concetta who was still standing next to Jack. She could tell she felt the same about her father’s comment.  
‘I’m afraid, my Cousin is tired. I’m escorting her home, Sir.’ Jack said assertively. Phryne saw that under her mask Concetta’s face twitched a little.  
‘And you leave my daughter alone on my party?’ Papa Antonio raised his eyebrow threateningly then looked at Phryne suspiciously. Phryne had to gather all her strength to stand straight. If Papa Antonio was the one who poisoned her, he must feel pretty satisfied now. ‘This sounds quite unreasonable, Jack.’ He added and Phryne could swear there was a triumphant smile in the corner of his mouth.  
‘Unreasonable or not, I’m escorting her home.’ Jack said ignoring the “Capo’s” threatening gaze. They stared at each other for a while, the tension was almost touchable when Concetta stepped forward.  
‘I really don’t mind it, father.’ She said soothingly but his father didn’t seem to care. His disapproval about Jack’s leaving wasn’t anything to do with her. It was about that someone was opposing him. He looked around the ballroom which was full of people he wanted to impress. It wasn’t the right time to punish Jack, he would pay for his sins on his wedding after all.  
‘Very well, then.’ He answered finally and turned towards Phryne. ‘Pleased to meet you, dear. Can you ask her to remove her mask perhaps?’ He looked at Phryne with an innocent smile. If she would fulfill his wish, he knew that Papa Antonio would recognize her instantly and the whole operation would be over. Phryne’s knees were trembling so hard she couldn’t think properly anymore so she decided to act instead.  
‘Wait me in the garden.’ She whispered in French to Jack and run towards the bathroom, leaving the surprised Stranos with Jack behind. She was only hoping that he could figure out a proper excuse for her.   
As soon as she got rid of the champagne in her stomach, she felt much better. She washed her face with cold water and gratefully accepted a warm towel from the stunned housemaid. She felt sorry for her. Her activity in the toilet wasn’t a quiet or a pleasant one. As she looked at the young, thin girl, she had already an idea about her escape from the soirée.  
‘What’s your name, dear?’ She turned towards the frightened maid.  
‘It’s Ellie, Miss.’ She said quietly. Her skin was alabaster, and her hair was black like Phryne’s, only her haircut was less fabulous. “It would do.” Phryne thought.  
‘Would you like to make some money, Ellie?’ She asked. The young girl looked at her with surprise at first but then she nodded.   
About half an hour later Jack discovered a familiar figure in a maid uniform jumping from the house on a tree next to him. She climbed down with cat dexterity and approached him. “Why am I not surprised?” Jack muttered to himself, but he felt relieved that Phryne was alright.  
‘Hello, Jack!’ Phryne greeted him cheerfully. Her hair was disheveled, twigs and leaves stuck in here and there. As she smoothened her borrowed maid uniform, she discovered that her stockings were also torn during her adventure on the tree.   
‘Miss Fisher.’ Jack smiled at her. He didn’t wear his mask anymore and his dashing profile was beautifully highlighted by the moonlight. ‘I don’t even count how many disguises were you wearing tonight.’  
‘We don’t have time for this, Jack.’ She talked fast. As she stepped closer, Jack saw her face was blushed and her eyes were sparkling in excitement. ‘There is a young girl in my dress and mask, waiting for you in Cec and Bert’s taxi. Please bring her to the Windsor and tell the doorman that she doesn’t want any visitors, not even family members.’ She gave him some banknotes. ‘They know me there; tell them she is my guest.’ Jack nodded but hesitated to move. ‘Be careful, Jack.’ Phryne added with a gentle voice and kissed him on his mouth lightly. God knows she needed this kiss. Jack froze a little, trying to process what’s just happened.  
‘I will.’ He said eventually in a husky voice and disappeared in the dark. After she made sure that nobody overheard their conversation, Phryne headed home.  
Her house was hollow and empty, she noted with relief. Her head was still spinning by the latest events and by the little part of sedative that stayed in her system. After she helped herself with a glass of brandy, she made herself comfortable on the sofa. She felt exhausted but couldn’t sleep. She kept thinking about everything that happened on the soiree. It seemed that Henry was right about Papa Antonio. He was definitely up to something. The papers that she found in his desk, proved that he purchased a large amount of explosives that could destroy whole Little Italy in Melbourne. Phryne was wondering how he managed to do it without anyone noticing. Suddenly Jack’s face came to her mind. She was quite sure that Papa Antonio’s big plan has something to do with his engagement, she caught him in the “Capo’s” office after all.  
She wanted to believe that she didn’t cross the whole world just to see him getting married. She sighed deeply and finished her drink on that thought. It wasn’t fair to bring up his engagement without knowing the whole story but seeing him with Concetta took her mind. She wasn’t so sure if coming back to Melbourne and contact with Jack was a wise decision after all. But how could she stay away now that she knew that the Camorra wanted to murder Jack and possibly almost a hundred other people?  
She didn’t know when these troubled thoughts finally rocked her into an uneasy sleep but when a noise woke her up, she was still laying on the sofa in the maid uniform. She jumped up nervously and reached for her pistol. She headed towards the kitchen where she thought she could hear the noises from. It seemed like someone was trying to open the back door in the kitchen. Phryne hold her breath while waiting for the door to open.   
‘Don’t move or I shoot you.’ She said aiming at the unofficial visitor, but she lowered her gun when she saw who it was.  
‘Please don’t. I’m already having a bad night.’ Jack said in a weary voice. Phryne could barely stop herself to jump on his neck.  
‘What are you doing here?’ She asked surprised and looked out on the street. ‘Weren’t you followed?’  
‘No, I think not.’ He answered. Seeing that Phryne wasn’t too convinced about what he said, he added. ‘Trust me, I was working as a police officer for enough time to be sure about that, Miss Fisher.’ Phryne could sense the irritation and the sadness from his voice. She shut the door and turned towards him.  
‘I didn’t mean to get you in trouble.’ He said embarrassed. Phryne knew he didn’t talk only about his late visit tonight. ‘I accompanied the young lady to the Windsor. She will be safe.’ He added and Phryne nodded.  
‘Thank you, Jack.’ She smiled at him. ‘A drink?’  
‘No, thank you.’ He still seemed embarrassed. ‘I should probably go now. I just wanted to…uhm… check on you.’ He looked at her with honest concern in his eyes.  
‘I’m fine.’ Phryne said. She felt touched that Jack even risked his life to make sure she was doing alright. Then she remembered their quarrel a few hours ago and bitterness took place in her heart. ‘I thought you had to go back to your fiancé.’ She said, emphasizing the last word.  
‘Phryne…’ Jack said hoarsely but she stopped him by raising her palm.  
‘You don’t need to explain yourself, Jack.’ She forced herself to say that. She was a curious person by nature, and she couldn’t stand the thought that there was a mystery that she couldn’t figure out yet. Perhaps that was why Jack Robinson attracted her so much. He was a man of never-ending mysteries. But right now, she realized, she needed to let him go. It could cost his life if she didn’t do so. ‘Maybe you should leave before things are getting more complicated.’ She whispered, looking deeply in the most gorgeous blue eyes she has ever seen. She was already standing quite close to him and Jack only needed to reach his arm to pull her even closer. It took her breath away as she felt his touch on her hips and his body snuggled up to hers.  
‘I thought complicated things are your specialty, Miss Fisher.’ He said huskily and looked at her lips which were only inches away from his. She couldn’t be reasonable anymore, not when he was so close to her that she could count every wrinkle on his face and every shade of blue in his eyes.  
He kissed her so passionately that Phryne had to cling on the kitchen table behind her. It wasn’t gentle at all, it was demanding, like when a drowning man was gasping for air and Phryne happily surrendered.


	7. I want all of you

A few hours earlier when Jack left Phryne in the small storage room, he went straight to his future father-in-law. He didn’t like the fact that Papa Antonio thought he could instruct him whenever he wished but he knew it would be a strategically bad move if he would anger him.  
‘Ah, Jack, at last.’ He said sardonically when Jack arrived at the circle of people he was talking to. He stopped next to Concetta. Of course, Paolo was there too and another young man with a mask that fully covered his face.  
‘I was held up, Sir.’ Jack said apologetically while he thought about the reason why he disappeared from Papa Antonio’s sight. He could still feel Phryne’s warm body on his and saw her parted lips which were waiting for him to kiss. He had to gather all his strength to say no to them, but he just simply couldn’t risk it. Everything would be decided in these days; he couldn’t allow to himself to make a mistake. Even if it meant he could lose her forever.  
Suddenly he saw the woman of his dreams on the stairs, and he had to force himself to not to look at her. His heart was beating violently as he tried to make a polite conversation with the people around him. It didn’t help in the situation that Papa Antonio’s started to talk about what was happening on the dancefloor, including Phryne and Henry Stokes. Jack’s throat tightened from jealousy as he saw that duo dancing and having an intimate conversation.  
‘I’m so glad that our guest, Mr Stokes enjoying himself.’ Papa Antonio giggled and whispered something to the young man next to him who let out a very fake laugh.  
‘If her face looks like her ass, then I must say, Mr Stokes is a lucky bastard.’ Paolo laughed on his own joke. Jack had to clench his hands to not punch him.  
‘Don’t worry, son.’ Papa Antonio tapped Paolo’s shoulder. ‘I have a feeling she will need a rebound very soon.’ They all laughed at his tasteless joke. It was clear as day what were they planning against Stokes.  
‘Excuse me.’ Jack couldn’t no longer tolerate himself. It was one thing that Phryne as usual didn’t listen to him and stayed at the soriee. But to draw attention to herself in this way was too much. If Papa Antonio would see this mysterious lady more thoroughly, everything could be over, the whole operation. There was another thing too. He didn’t admit it, but he hated to see Phryne on another man’s arm.  
He planned to convince her to leave but as soon as he held her in his arms and their body reconnected, he lost all his senses, and he could only see this woman who he was madly in love with. His male instincts told him to protect her even at the cost of his life but she, as usual, rejected it. Her confidence and boldness that he loved the most about her, now pissed him up. But the most painful thing was that Henry Stokes was there for her when he couldn’t.  
He knew it would be difficult for Phryne to process that he engaged someone else, but he thought that eventually she would accept it and move on with her life, even if that would mean they couldn’t have a future together. He didn’t expect that she would come back to Melbourne one week before his wedding, finding the documents he was searching for weeks for and reveal Papa Antonio’s conspiracy against Henry Stokes in one night. To think about it, it wasn’t very surprising, since we were talking about Miss Fisher.  
Jack’s mind became blurry of anger and frustration as Phryne mentioned the engagement. All he wanted was to protect his loved ones and many other people who the Camorra wanted to murder but now everything was falling apart. He wanted to tell her everything that happened since she left him on that airfield, but he couldn’t. He simply just said goodbye a second time and showed his back to his problems and Phryne Fisher. He was hoping if he would be rude with her, she would give up eventually. Of course, deep in his mind he knew, it wouldn’t work like that with Miss Fisher.  
‘Henry Stokes’ charming partner, if I’m not mistaken.’ He heard Papa Antonio’s tipsy voice. “This is the end.” He thought to himself, then the “Capo” himself reminded him, Phryne didn’t suppose to speak English. The only thing he had to do was to find a language that Phryne and he are also familiar with, but the Italians didn’t speak. French came to his mind. They both spent some time in France during and after the war and Jack was quite sure that Papa Antonio and his minions didn’t.  
‘Actually…’ he had to clear his throat to continue. He was hoping his plan would work. ‘She is my Cousin from France.’ He said and turned to Phryne. ‘What are you doing?’ He asked in French, but his offensive attitude quickly changed when he saw Phryne’s white face as she said “empoisonné”, poisoned. He had to concentrate very much so that his face wouldn’t reflect his emotions. His brain and heart almost exploded but somehow, he managed to show a sufficient poker face.  
‘I’m afraid, my Cousin is tired. I’m escorting her home, Sir.’ He said with dry throat. He could barely hear Papa Antonio’s indignant response as he could only focus on Phryne’s condition. He had to bring her out as soon as possible. His heart sank into the thought of losing her.  
Finally, Papa Antonio decided to not make the feathers fly, he set a trap instead. ‘Pleased to meet you, dear. Can you ask her to remove her mask perhaps?’ He asked in an annoyingly honeyed voice. Jack’s heart skipped a beat. If Phryne would reveal her face, neither of them would survive dawn. Miss Fisher chose the easiest way to get out of this awkward situation, she simply ran away.  
For a few minutes there was silence in the group then Jack cleared his throat. ‘I’m afraid my Cousin’s stomach still needs to get used to Grappa.’ He said apologetically and looked around. Papa Antonio’s face became from shocked to amused and a few moments later everyone was laughing.  
‘It’s not a drink for a frog eater.’ Papa Antonio laughed on his own joke, but Jack barely could hear it. He was already heading to the garden to meet Phryne.  
He chose a quite dark spot under a tree where he could hide from his spies. He walked nervously up and down when he heard the crackling of branches from behind him. Soon he saw Concetta in his dark evening dress.  
‘Is everything okay with…with Miss Fisher, Gianni?’ She asked concerned.  
‘Honestly…I have no idea.’ Jack sighed deeply as he thought of everything that happened in the last few hours. When he felt her so close like behind the curtain or in the storage room, even on the dancefloor, it was like heaven and hell on the same time. He already said goodbye to their future together and he didn’t feel the strength to do it again.  
‘Don’t worry, father wasn’t suspicious at all.’ She soothed Jack but she didn’t get any answer from him. ‘Why did you engage me, Gianni?’ After a while she asked. Jack looked at her with a heartbreaking expression on his face.  
‘I can’t tell you the whole story, Concetta. I’ve put you in an enormous danger already.’ He said apologetically.  
‘Was it to protect her?’ Concetta asked him. There were tears in her dark brown eyes.  
‘Partly, yes.’ Jack answered with dry throat.  
‘I know I promised you to not ask too many questions and not interfere in your business but at this point, I think we’ve gone too far.’ She said gloomily.  
‘Perhaps, you are right about that.’ Jack sighed. Phryne Fisher always had a god sense to make everything as complicated as possible but this time it was him who was responsible for the mess, he caused in everyone’s life. ‘But there is no turning back now.’ He added resignedly.  
‘Look, Gianni, I’m ready to do anything that must be done.’ She sighed deeply. Looked like she had to gather all her strength to talk about this. ‘But I can’t see you suffering. What you have with her is something special and rare. I can’t let you to give up on it.’  
‘It’s too complicated.’ Jack said hoarsely and tried to suppress all his emotions. Concetta stepped closer to him and took his hands gently.  
‘Was it ever simple?’ She asked. Jack let out a half-smile. ‘Talk to her or you will regret it for the rest of your life. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about.’ She wiped a tear from her face before she continued. ‘I can cover for you tonight if you promise that.’  
Jack couldn’t say anything just stared at this amazing, kind and self-sacrificing woman, who would deserve every happiness of the world. ‘I don’t know what to say.’ He said huskily. ‘That is too much to ask from you.’  
‘Gianni, without you, I would be still engaged to that horrible Salvatore. I owe you a lifetime of happiness.’ She touched his face gently then glanced back to the illuminated windows of the house. ‘I should go back.’ She lightly kissed Jack’s face. ‘Good luck, dear Gianni.’ She said and headed towards the soiree with definite steps.  
Jack watched her receding figure for a while when heard a strange noise from the tree behind him. As he looked the foliage closely, he saw a familiar person in maid uniform jumping from the window on the tree. Jack only knew one woman who would do this stunt so fearlessly.  
‘Hello, Jack.’ Phryne Fisher greeted him in her usual cheerful manner, like she just simply knocked on his office door. Jack didn’t confess for himself for a long time, but he loved to hear these two little words from her mouth. She looked adorably in the shapeless and a bit large uniform. Her hair was messy and covered with leaves and twigs, her arms were full of scratches and her stockings were torn but Jack could only see her beautiful, sparkling eyes that were looking at him. She obviously felt much better.  
In his relief, he tried to joke with her about her uniform, but Phryne was already switched to action mode. He hated to leave her already and when she kissed him on his mouth, he had to suppress the urge to embrace her in his arms. But Phryne was right. They had no time to waste.

Ellie was a quiet, Christian girl who felt embarrassed that she had to be alone with three men in a taxi, but she was in desperate need in money. Her mother was being sick a lot lately and the doctor recommended beach air to recover and strengthen her lungs. Her family didn’t have savings for such trip and Ellie was quite sure that Phryne was sent either by God or the Devil. She would see it in time.  
On the way to the Windsor, they didn’t talk much. She felt tense in the defiant dress of Miss Fisher. The dress probably costed her salary of a whole year, but Ellie considered it awfully uncomfortable and inappropriate for a decent lady.  
She was sitting next to the elegantly dressed handsome gentleman who explained her in his pleasant voice what she had to do.  
‘The most important thing is to not leave your room in any circumstances. You can only open the door for Miss Fisher. Do you understand, Miss?’ He said in a serious tone.  
‘And uhm…’ Ellie paused a little and bit her lower lip in embarrassment. She looked at the man. The pair of blue eyes watched her with interest. ‘What if I want something to eat or… how would I even know if Miss Fisher is standing behind the door?’  
‘That is a fair question, Miss Wittmann.’ He said. Ellie was hoping he didn’t see that he blushed. His smile made his face even more handsome. ‘What about a codename?’ He asked.  
‘Like spies do?’ She asked shyly. She read a lot of detective books lately and she enjoyed it very much.  
‘Exactly. You will need something that you can memorize easily.’ The man smiled again reassuringly. Ellie was wondering how old he could be. He was probably older than any of her male acquaintances, but this only benefited him. The grooves around his gorgeous blue eyes and his velvety deep voice made him even more mature and charming.  
‘I can’t think of anything, sorry.’ Ellie said ashamed but the man just looked at her kindly.  
‘What do you think about “Cleopatra”?’ He asked. Ellie didn’t know what that word meant but she just nodded reassuringly. She didn’t want to look even dumber in front of the handsome gentleman who seemed well educated. Besides, it felt as if he was emotionally attached to this word because his blue eyes sparkled a little as he said it. Ellie decided she had to find out the meaning of “Cleopatra” first thing in the morning.  
After Jack made sure of Ellie’s safety in the hotel, he took the backseat of the taxi with a deep sigh. ‘Now where?’ Bert barked from the driver’s seat. Jack could only think of one place he really wanted to go.  
‘Wardlow’ he said after a quick hesitation but when Bert started the engine, he suddenly changed his mind. He saw another car’s headlight across the street, and he knew he couldn’t risk it. ‘Nevermind, Albert.’ He said and added his address to Bert.  
When he arrived at his dark, dreary and unfriendly apartment, he ran upstairs and watched Cec and Bert’s taxi leaving. The car that he saw in front of the Windsor, was now parking on the other side of the street. He cursed quietly. Papa Antonio obviously sent someone to keep an eye on him.  
Phryne’s pale face came to his mind. He was only hoping that the “Capo” had enough sense to not give her anything deadly, if he was the one who poisoned her at least. Whoever it was will be punished for it, Jack would make sure of it. But first he needed to know if she was doing fine. His heart sank at the thought that something happened to her on the way home. He had to see her right away.  
He looked down the dark street. The car was still there. He saw smokes coming through the unwound window and the embers of the lit cigarette inside. He couldn’t possibly go out unnoticed, at least if he would use the front door. Luckily, his apartment had a back door, but he had no idea how he could manage to get his car which was parking in front of the building. Phryne was living on the other side of the city and it would be dawn by the time he would arrive there on foot. He decided to risk it anyway. He turned off the lights and headed towards the back door carefully. He changed his evening coat to a casual one and opened the door quietly. As he looked around the back yard, he found the solution leaning against the wall leisurely, like it was waiting for him all the time. It was his old bicycle.  
When he was a young Constable, he went everywhere by bike. He even won a few local races. His dream was to get into the elite circle and ultimately the Tour de France. Then he got married, the war came and since then he stacked his old bike here and there, but he couldn’t get himself to use it. It needed new wheels and lubrication but after half an hour he managed to put in a usable condition. He rolled it out carefully on the street in the back of the house. He saw no one.  
He jumped easily on the bike and after a few meters in the dark and cold night, he happily noted that the saying was true. One can’t forget how to bike. He felt like he was young again and he forget all his troubles for a while. He was riding fast, faster than a car could go quietly. That was why he was quite sure, nobody followed him.  
When he saw Phryne’s house and that the lamp was on in the parlor, his hands started to shake so hard that he was afraid he would fell off the bike. Luckily, he didn’t, and he reached the back door safe and sound. He leaned his rusty vehicle against the wall and knocked on the door quietly. There was no answer. He knocked harder. There was still no answer. He tried to turn the doorknob, but it was locked. He sighed. There was no turning back now. It took some time to pick the lock. Afterall, he wasn’t an expert, like Miss Fisher, ironically, he thought.  
‘Don’t move or I shoot you.’ The lady of the house herself was standing in front of him when he could finally let himself inside. She was still wearing the maid uniform; her hair was messy, and her makeup smeared but otherwise she looked healthy. Jack had to suppress the urge to not to kiss her in his sudden relief.  
His mind told him to leave but his heart was beating and screaming for her so loud that he couldn’t hear what his mind was saying anymore. At the same time Concetta’s words echoed in his head. “What you have with her is something special and rare. I can’t let you to give up on it.” Perhaps she was right about that. He tried to convince himself for too long that he didn’t need Phryne Fisher in his life, and now when he finally saw her, he felt he could breathe, and his heart started beating again. If he would die tomorrow, he wanted to make sure he had a chance for happiness.  
He wanted to tell her everything about his deal with his boss. Why he had to engage Concetta, why was he fired and why he didn’t go after her to London. But when he glanced at her face which reflected sadness and sorrow, he realized that every minute with this gorgeous, fantastic woman was a gift and he would be damned if he would waste any more.  
As soon as he pulled her closer to himself and tasted his soft lips, he felt like the world stopped moving and there were only him and the woman of his dreams in his arms. He kissed her before, and he still treasured the memory of those kisses in his heart. This time he couldn’t stop at just one kiss. He wanted every inch of her, from her head to her toes and even more. He wanted to melt into her and give her his body and soul to do with it as she liked.  
Phryne had to cling on the kitchen desk behind her to not to fall from the firm and demanding kiss. Ultimately, she found herself sitting on the table with Jack Robinson between her legs and the torn remnants of the maid uniform around her. She barely noticed the sound of the shattered porcelain that fell down while they were making their way on the table. She could only focus on the sweet kisses Jack had covered her body with. Every each of them made her skin burning and her head dizzy as if she had fallen in some kind of drunken daze.  
Jack has already lost his coat and now Phryne started to unbutton his shirt impatiently. She loosened his tie with expert hands and pulled him on herself with it. She moaned lustfully as she could finally free him from the tie and the shirt and she was staring at his muscular chest. She stroked it contentedly then her hand wandered lower and lower. She smiled with satisfaction when Jack moaned hoarsely as she touched a quite sensitive area. She locked her legs around his waist to make it clear she was ready for him.  
Their eyes met before their bodies united. This was the moment they both were waiting for long and it was perfect. Phryne didn’t remember if lovemaking ever has brought her so much joy and satisfaction. She was levitating by the overflowing emotions and the physical pleasure. She clenched her legs, so they changed a position. She wanted to see him entirely and let him to stroke her body with his strong and big hands. Those hands now grabbed her by her hips and their owner sat up to change a hot kiss with her. They were moving faster and faster until the pleasure became almost unbearable and Phryne shouted Jack’s name at the top of her lungs. He had to hold her so they wouldn’t fall off the table when both of their bodies weakened from the tingling of orgasm.  
They stayed there for a while, hugged each other panting, like they have just reached the top of the world. Maybe it was so.


	8. The next morning

Dot couldn’t sleep that night either but for some less pleasant reasons. The baby was awake all night and decided to play with her internal organs. Hugh’s constant and incredibly loud snoring didn’t help much with the situation. Moreover, she couldn’t stop thinking about Miss Fisher. She was worried. She obviously planned something very dangerous for tonight which wasn’t very unusual from her, but it seemed for Dot that this time was different. Her mistress was rather distracted, and her usual confidence faded slightly. Dot had a feeling that it had something to do with Inspector Robinson who would attend the soiree as well. She knew that something wasn’t right about his engagement with Concetta Strano and her heart sank on the thought that two people whose fate were intertwined couldn’t be together. She looked gently at the peacefully snoring man next to her and snuggled to him. The snoring became more silent and it seemed that the closeness of his father helped the baby to calm down too. Before she surrendered to the well-deserved sleep, she thought that hopefully this trick would work after the baby would be born too.  
When she woke up the next day, she found herself alone in the bed, with the baby obviously, who signaled with strong kicks that it was time for breakfast. “It is a true Collins, that is for sure.” She thought and laboriously got out of bed. As she glanced at the clock on the bedside table, she realized she slept through the morning. She hurriedly got dressed and prepared some lunch for Hugh before she left for the City South Police Station.  
As she entered the familiar door of the station, she knew instantly that something has happened. Hugh was at his place and his telephone machine didn’t stop ringing. ‘I’m sorry, Dottie, I can’t have lunch with you today.’ He said between two phone calls as he took the basket full of tasteful foods.  
‘I can see that.’ Dot looked around the place. A few people were already waiting outside the interrogation room. ‘What happened?’ She asked. Before Hugh could answer, a middle-aged man with big tummy and suspiciously red nose appeared next to them.  
‘Don’t worry about it, sweetheart.’ He said in a hollow, deep voice. He was Hugh’s new boss, Detective Inspector Eggs. Dot didn’t like him. Mostly because he didn’t have any respect for the female gender. She stepped farther before he could pinch her butt. ‘I need you in the interrogation room, Collins.’ He turned to Hugh and his walrus face cheered up as he saw the food basket. ‘Lunch, how lovely.’ He said and took the basket from Hugh. ‘Do you mind, Collins? You won’t have time to have lunch anyway.’  
‘Of course not, Sir.’ Hugh said in a muffled voice while his face reflected quite the opposite.  
‘You are such a good employee, Collins.’ Eggs tapped Hugh’s shoulder. ‘Perhaps I’ll let you to do the interrogation too, while I’ll handle something important in my office.’ He looked at the food basket dreamily.   
‘Thank you, Sir.’ Hugh’s face was now deep red, and Dot was afraid he could explode in any minute. She opened her mouth to put the Inspector in his place, but she changed her mind as Hugh gave her a warning face. Since Inspector Robinson was fired, Hugh could only stay at the police station because of Inspector Eggs’ benevolence, who, to put it in mildly, abused the situation.  
‘You should go, Dottie.’ Hugh said as his boss disappeared with his lunch in his office. ‘I’ll tell you everything at home.’ He added and put light kiss on Dot’s face before he headed to the interrogation room.   
Dot sighed. She missed their life before Miss Fisher left for England. She missed working for her, playing a detective. She even missed Inspector Robinson. The police station wasn’t the same since he was fired. Hugh worked much more overtime and most of the difficult cases weren’t even solved, just tossed away. She glanced at the papers on Hugh’s desk casually when her eyes caught on a familiar name. “A young girl’s body was found in Little Italy last night. She was possibly strangled to death with her own scarf. The only thing that was found in her handbag was a business card of the Hon. Miss Phryne Fisher, lady detective.”

When Dot arrived to Wardlow, she terribly frightened from what she found in the house. At first, she thought Miss Fisher was robbed or attacked. Almost every furniture was upside down, the carpets were crumpled, pillows and pieces of the decoration were all over the floor, even the paintings on the wall were oblique and the curtains torn off. The kitchen was in the worst shape. Porcelain pieces were shattered everywhere, and one or two chairs were even broken. She picked up the torn remains of something that looked like a maid uniform from the floor when she spotted a familiar man’s coat. She looked around and found Inspector Robinson’s tie in the sink, his pants under the table and his shirt hanging on the lamp. She sighed with relief as she heard her Mistress’ voice from upstairs.  
‘Is that you, Mr Butler?’ She asked. Her voice sounded like she was still half asleep.  
‘No, Miss. It’s just me, Dot.’ She said, then shortly she heard Phryne’s rushing steps down the stairs.  
‘I didn’t expect you here, Dot.’ She appeared in the kitchen door. Her hair was messy, and she was only wearing her favorite silver robe. ‘I thought you would rest today.’  
‘That’s right, Miss but…’ She had to take a pause when she put the broken china in the garbage. ‘I needed to tell you something, you should know about…but...uhm…’She picked up Jack’s clothes meaningfully. ‘I can come back later perhaps.’  
‘Nonsense, Dot.’ Phryne laughed. ‘Mr Butler will come shortly and clean up this mess.’ She gestured towards the remains of the kitchen casually. ‘Would you be so kind to fetch me a strong coffee, I feel like I ran a marathon last night.’ She took Jack’s clothes from Dot, which made quite clear for her who she ran that marathon with. Dot blushed on that thought but she servantly started to make the coffee for her mistress. Luckily, she could save some remained coffee-beans from the broken pieces of the jar. She tried hard not to imagine what made the jar fall off the kitchen counter while she was searching for an intact coffee cup.  
Meanwhile, Phryne hurried back silently into her budoir where quite a nice view was waiting for her. She had to admit that the naked, sleeping Jack Robinson was perhaps the most beautiful thing she has ever seen. And she has seen many things at this point in her life. He was laying on his back and sighed softly through his half open mouth. Phryne discovered a stray lock of hair on his forehead and she smoothened it back with a smile. Jack’s usually tidy hair was now rather messy which reminded her of how many times she gripped it during their passionate lovemaking last night. She sighed on that thought and looked at his muscular body which wasn’t covered at all. It was truly gorgeous and last night she made sure; he could use it as well.  
As soon as their bodies connected, there was no turning back. They were in desperate need of each other and they couldn’t be separated again. Every emotion, every passion they hold back until now, burst out like a volcano. And destroyed Phryne’s house completely.  
After a few hours they found themselves in Phryne’s budoir, although they didn’t know how they got there. They were so intoxicated by passion and love that they didn’t feel the reality around them. There was just the two of them now. Jack stroked Phryne’s back gently with his fingers while she made a sound that was very close to a cat’s purr.  
‘Perhaps, I should go now.’ He said in a low, husky voice which made Phryne’s body tingle again. She pressed herself closer to Jack and inhaled his scent which still stayed very pleasant despite their activity of the last few hours.  
‘Then why don’t you?’ she asked and bit his shoulder playfully. That was a fair question. Jack knew he had to leave; he shouldn’t have even been here for the first place. But for the first time in his life everything felt to be in place. When he was holding the woman of his dreams in his arms, he felt he was fearless and strong.  
‘Because I can’t move.’ He gave Phryne a half smile and in return he received a deep kiss from her before they forgot themselves in each other again.  
So, he stayed and now his Adonis body was resting on her bed. It made Phryne’s heart breaking that she had to wake him up. She decided to give him some time until she could talk with Dot. Poor girl became quite upset by the sight of the destroyed kitchen, Phryne wasn’t sure if she could handle more trial this morning, especially in her condition. She placed Jack’s clothes on the chair next to him then headed to the bathroom. She needed refreshing herself urgently.  
About half an hour later, she found Dot in a tidy parlor with a steaming coffee pot. The windows were open, letting in fresh air from outside and, judging by the noises from the kitchen, Mr Butler has arrived too and started cleaning up the ruins.  
‘God bless you, Dot.’ Phryne accepted gratefully the cup of coffee that Dot offered and made herself comfortable on the sofa. ‘Now, what was so important that made you come here on your day off?’ she sipped her coffee and looked at her companion from behind her cup.  
Dot opened her mouth to tell what she found out at the police station, but she was interrupted by the sharp scream of the doorbell. ‘Who on Earth would that be?’ Phryne murmured but she kept drinking her coffee. Shortly, Mr Butler appeared in the door of the parlor.  
‘Inspector Eggs and Constable Collins is here, Miss.’ He announced. Dot sighed. She was hoping she could talk with Miss Fisher before the Inspector would finish his lunch and come here.  
‘Led them into the parlor, Mr B.’ Phryne said cheerfully and gave Dot a reassuring look. She couldn’t be easily intimidated by the police force, with a few exceptions, of course.  
‘Miss Fisher.’ Eggs’ huge figure appeared in the parlor, following by the very nervous Hugh Collins. ‘And Mrs Collins, what a lovely surprise.’ His malicious pig eyes scanned Dot suspiciously.   
‘How did you like your lunch, Inspector?’ Dot asked insolently. Eggs’s fat face hardened a little and didn’t answer the question. Phryne suppressed a proud smile.  
‘What can I owe the pleasure, Inspector?’ Phryne asked kindly but she didn’t offer any seat for Eggs.  
‘My sincere apologize for the inconvenience, Miss Fisher, the Constable called you several times, but you were failed to switch.’ His gaze wandered to the telephone table where the telephone machine was now missing. It was lying on the ground and the speaker was a few inches away. Hugh jumped there and put it back on the table. ‘One mystery is solved.’ Eggs announced.  
‘Is there another mystery, Inspector?’ Phryne asked innocently. She didn’t like this new Inspector and not just because he was less handsome than his predecessor. She could smell the slyness under his polite manner.   
‘I was rather worried, Miss Fisher.’ Eggs said as he walked back to the parlor. ‘When I asked your neighbor about you earlier, the lady said she was afraid you were attacked last night. She heard sounds of brawl and cries for help.’ Phryne had to bite her lower lip to not laugh. True that their lovemaking with Jack wasn’t a quiet one last night.  
‘How peculiar.’ She said, giving Eggs an innocent face. ‘As you can see, I’m quite alright, Inspector.’   
‘I’m glad to see it, Ma’am, but I’m afraid, we came here for a different reason today.’ He took a seat fussily against Phryne. She didn’t say a word, just poured herself another cup of coffee. Something told her she needed some reinforcement. She just regretted she didn’t put anything stronger in it.  
‘Did you know a certain Frances Thompson, Miss Fisher?’ Inspector Eggs started the interrogation of Phryne while he placed his chubby fingers on his large tummy.  
‘It doesn’t ring a bell, Inspector.’ Phryne answered lightly. ‘Who is she?’  
‘I’m afraid, the right question would be: “who was she?”, Miss Fisher. She was found dead last night.’ Eggs said in an official tone.  
‘How awful.’ Phryne only said while she stood Eggs’ suspicious gaze.  
‘Indeed, Ma’am.’ Eggs nodded and looked at Phryne with narrowed eyes. ‘If you weren’t familiar with the young lady, can you tell me how she got this?’ After a short digging in his pocket, he pulled out a tiny card and showed it to Phryne. It was a weathered piece of her business cards. Phryne’s face didn’t reflect a single emotion.  
‘Perhaps, it sounds odd for you, Inspector but my business is quite popular around here.’ She shrugged. ‘She could have picked it up anywhere.’ She looked at the fat Detective defiantly. Of course, she remembered the upset young girl to whom she gave her card in the opera. She was quite sure that Eggs was talking about the same Frances, but she decided not to share anything with him for now. Jack probably would have called this “withholding information from a police officer”, but she didn’t like Eggs’ attitude. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but he seemed shady.   
‘Miss Fisher, if you are unwilling to cooperate, I’m afraid I’ll have to bring you to the police station.’ Eggs stood up threateningly. Before Phryne could say anything, she heard a familiar deep and manly voice from the door.  
‘Are you accusing Miss Fisher with something, Inspector?’ Jack’s dashing figure was in the door. Phryne discovered the official seriousness on his handsome face which he usually put on when he told someone off. She always found it quite irresistible. Eggs on the other hand, became embarrassed.  
‘I didn’t expect you here, Mr Robinson.’ He emphasized the word “mr”, implying that police business is not his problem anymore. Jack’s face tightened a little and stepped closer to Eggs.  
‘You are in luck that I’m here, Inspector Eggs. It would cause the end of your short career if your supervisor would receive complaints about you harassing respectable ladies in their home.’ The two men stared at each other for a while, the tension in Phryne’s parlor became touchable. Phryne was trying hard not to smile. She felt like she got the old Inspector Robinson back.  
‘I was about to leave anyway.’ Eggs finally said. ‘Watch your steps, Robinson. The Camorra won’t even lift a finger for you if I put you behind bars.’ He hissed to Jack. ‘Come on, Collins.’ He barked to Hugh and left without saying goodbye from Phryne and Dot.  
‘Well, that was certainly unnecessary, Jack.’ Phryne stood up and handed a cup off coffee to Jack. ‘What’s wrong, Dot?’ She turned back to her companion but stayed close to Jack. She inhaled his manly, early morning scent. She was hoping they can return to bed soon.  
‘That’s why I came here today, Miss.’ Dot said nervously. ‘That poor girl, who Inspector Eggs was talking about, she was found dead in Little Italy last night.’  
‘Perhaps Inspector Eggs is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he can connect two dots.’ Jack sighed. ‘It is only the matter of time until he would figure out that we were in Little Italy last night.’  
‘Let’s not wait until that.’ Phryne said cheerfully. ‘Eggs won’t have time to suspect us, if we figure out who really killed Frances Thompson.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's been a while since I posted a new chapter. Don't worry, I will definitely finish the story and there are much more to tell. Meanwhile, you can follow my IG site for more Miss Fisher content! agika_lostinmfmm  
> You can comment my stories here or in IG, it will be highly appreciated.


	9. See you at your wedding

As Jack looked at Phryne, it felt like old times. Her eyes shone with excitement and there was a confident half smile on her face, he has seen many times during their investigations. There was only one problem. He wasn’t able to protect and help her anymore since he lost his job as a policeman. At least everyone thought that. In reality, he was undercover in the dangerous society of the Camorra.   
‘I’m not sure it’s a good idea, Phryne.’ He said. ‘It could be dangerous if you draw attention to yourself. Especially after last night.’ He added the last sentence with a meaningful look. Dot blushed as she realized what he was referring to.  
‘Nonsense, Jack.’ Phryne said as she reached for the coffee pot again. ‘I owe that much to poor Frances.’  
‘So, you knew her.’ Jack sighed. Talking Miss Fisher out of an investigation has always been a hopeless task, especially if she was personally concerned in the case.  
‘It would be an exaggeration to say that, but I met her.’ She answered. ‘And I promised her to help.’  
‘In what exactly?’ Jack found himself questioning her like old times.  
‘To get rid of egosite, domineering men and become an independent, strong woman.’ Phryne shrugged.  
‘So, the usual service from Miss Fisher.’ Jack gave her a half smile.  
‘We can say so.’ Phryne smiled back. As their gazes met, Jack had to clear his throat to focus.  
‘And that was the last time when you saw her?’ He forced himself to stay serious.   
‘The first and the last time, yes.’ She sighed. Honestly, she felt somehow responsible for that young girl. She promised her to help and a few days later she was murdered.   
‘Why do I have a feeling that there is more to this story?’ Jack sighed reluctantly.   
‘Because you are suspicious by nature, Jack.’ Phryne lifted the coffee cup to her mouth innocently. ‘Anyway, you weren’t completely honest with me about your investigation either.’ She looked at his eyes.   
‘I’m not sure if we can compare the two things, Miss Fisher.’ Jack said sternly. ‘But I assume that now that the circumstances changed, I am finally able to tell you anything you are curious about.’  
‘Is that so?’ Phryne smiled at him playfully. They found themselves lost in each other’s eyes as their thoughts distracted into last night, until the moment was interrupted by a polite cough.   
‘I think, I ask Mr Butler if he needs any help in the kitchen.’ Dot said quietly and tried to disappear as unobtrusively as she could in her condition. She felt like she was a third wheel in the room, and she was trying to escape before things were getting more escalated between Phryne and Jack.  
‘Can you tell me what made you change your mind?’ Phryne asked as if she didn’t even notice her leaving. She crossed her legs and flashed her slender legs, but Jack could only stare at her mischievously glittering eyes. He sat down on the chair next to her and took her hand gently. Her small hands almost lost between his strong and manly fingers.  
‘Well…’ He said gently in that low, dulcet tone that always made Phryne melting. ‘I think it is time to stop pretending. My cover is officially failed.’  
‘Does it mean…?’ Phryne’s heart skipped a beat.  
‘It means that I am no longer engaged to Concetta, neither in the eyes of the Camorra, nor in anyone else’s.’ He gave her a warm smile and leaned closer, but Phryne pulled her hand away as if she was touching fire.  
‘You are certainly not doing that, Jack.’ She stood up and started walking up and down nervously. ‘Did you forget what did we find out yesterday? We must prevent Papa Antonio from carrying out that horrible plan.’   
Jack buried his face in his hands when he realized what is she talking about. His wedding supposed to be the date when the Camorra would strike down. He already risked too much, worked on it for too long and too many people’s lives were at stake.   
Phryne, seeing his devastation, eased a little and stepped closer to him. ‘Last night was very special, Jack.’ She bit her lower lip and touched his tie. ‘And I really hope, there will be more of it.’ She added with dreamy eyes then her face hardened a little. ‘But I couldn’t bear the thought that you’d risk everything you achieved because of me.’  
Jack took her hands again and kiss them gently. Of course, she thought like that. She was a rare and selfless person. ‘Phryne, I…’ He started but Phryne stopped him by touching his lips by her fingers.  
‘You don’t need to say anything, Jack.’ She said kindly but deep down she was anxious about what he was about to say. ‘Let’s focus on our investigations for now then we can come to this later.’  
‘Our investigations?’ Jack raised an eyebrow.  
‘Of course.’ She gave him an irresistible smile. ‘I have to give a report to my client.’  
‘Stokes.’ Jack grunted.  
‘I know that you don’t like him, Jack but he can actually help us with Frances’ murder.’  
‘How exactly?’ Jack raised his eyebrow again. He had a terrible suspicion.  
‘He was Frances’ lover.’ Phryne shrugged innocently.  
‘And do you think he would confess to you that he murdered her ex-lover?’ Jack asked sarcastically. Phryne sighed. She never liked when Jack became overprotective and jealous.  
‘Don’t be like that, Jack.’ She said. ‘I know exactly, what I’m doing.’ She closed the discussion. ‘You should be worried about the Camorra.’   
Jack sighed. Last night made him almost forget the circumstances that he created himself. He was only hoping that Concetta was doing fine, and she could find out an appropriate explanation about his absence. He looked back at Phryne who was still smiling. He wished he hadn’t left her house and come back to the reality.  
‘Don’t worry, Jack.’ Phryne said like she felt his anxiousness. ‘I already have a plan. But I must tell you that it involves Henry Stokes.’  
Jack sighed again. It felt he would never get rid of that bastard Stokes. ‘I’m not sure how a criminal could help us with an investigation that I was working on almost a year.’ He rolled his eyes.  
‘Perhaps because your mind is blurred by some ridiculous testosterone competition.’ Phryne said. She began to lose her patience. Men were never able to separate sex and business. ‘Please, hear me out and tell me if you have a better idea.’  
Dot has just finished gluing together the last pieces of the china and the kitchen looked almost acceptable. ‘Why don’t you go home and rest, Dorothy?’ Mr Butler asked her kindly. ‘I can finish here by myself.’  
‘That is quite alright, Mr Butler. I need to speak with Miss Fisher anyway.’ She said.  
‘You look pale, my child.’ Mr Butler said worriedly. ‘Is something bothering you?’ He stopped wiping the floor and sit down next to Dot on one of the remaining chairs.  
‘I’m worried about Miss Fisher.’ Dot said and leaned closer to the Butler. ‘The Inspector…uhm…Mr Robinson said earlier that she shouldn’t draw attention to herself and…’  
‘You are suspecting that she is planning quite the opposite.’ Mr Butler finished her sentence, smiling. ‘She can take care of herself, Dorothy, you know that.’  
‘I assume so.’ Dot sighed. ‘But I have a feeling that this time is different.’  
‘Because of what happened with Mr Robinson?’ Mr Butler smiled widely.   
‘He is engaged after all.’ Dot whispered like she was afraid that God would overhear Phryne’s sins.  
‘I’m sure that Mr Robinson would never do anything that would hurt Miss Fisher.’ Mr Butler soothed. ‘Even if the evidence doesn’t suggest to.’ He nodded toward the plate that Dot has just repaired and smiled mischievously.  
‘Dot!’ Phryne’s voice interrupted them. A little later their mistress appeared in the kitchen door followed by Jack. ‘Ah, there you are.’ She said when she saw her companion.  
‘Miss?’   
‘You have to tell us everything you found out about Frances.’ Phryne said sternly.  
‘I’m afraid that is not much, Miss. I only had a glance at the report on Hugh’s table.’ She frowned as she tried to remember. ‘She was found in Little Italy, strangled by her own scarf.’  
‘That’s it?’ Phryne asked greedily.  
‘Well…yes. That and what Inspector Eggs said. Your business card was the only thing they found in her bag.’ Dot stood up and took her coat. ‘I’ll go back to the station and ask Hugh about it.’  
‘That’s alright, Dot.’ Phryne stopped her. ‘I don’t want Eggs knowing about that we are interested in the case. I will find a way.’  
‘You mean Stokes?’ Jack cut in rolling his eyes towards Phryne. She decided to ignore his sarcastic comment.  
‘Dot, please ask Cec and Bert to drive Jack home.’ She turned to Dot.  
‘Thank you but I can manage myself.’ Jack said sternly.   
‘I thought you didn’t bring your car.’ Phryne looked at him curiously.   
‘I didn’t.’ Jack went to the backdoor with a mysterious half smile on his face and showed Phryne her vehicle from last night. As she saw his rusty, old bicycle she had to suppress a smile. She was aware that he took a big risk by coming to Wardlow, but she had no idea that he cycled all the way from the other side of Melbourne just to see her.  
‘Are you sure about this, Jack?’ She leaned against the wall with her arms casually folded and watched how Jack checked his bike before he got on the saddle.   
‘Perhaps it is surprising for you, Miss Fisher but before the war I was cycling quite regularly.’ He tilted his head a little and gave Phryne a half smile. He looked quite dashing even on a rusty, old bike. Phryne stepped closer to him and kissed him gently.  
‘Promise, you will be careful.’ She said. Their faces were only inches away.  
‘I recommend Mr Stokes to behave.’ He whispered to her lips. ‘Or else…’ Phryne shut him down with a kiss.  
‘See you on your wedding, Jack.’ She smiled. Jack hesitated for a minute before he got on his bike and left, but in the end, he felt that he wanted to tell her too many things to say anything at all. 

Henry Stokes wasn’t in a good mood. Apart from that he had a massive hangover from the tree bottles of champagne he drunk last night, he has just received some bad news. He inhaled deeply his cigar and tried to make up a solution for all of his current problems when Phryne Fisher appeared in a scented cloud of Jicky.  
‘Hello Henry!’ She greeted him cheerfully. She looked incredibly attractive in her elegant black pants that highlighted her slender waist and her fur coat that turned the attention to her red lips. Henry licked his mouth involuntarily.   
‘Miss Fisher, how nice of you to stop by.’ He growled and continued smoking.  
‘Sorry, I was hold up.’ She said lightly and placed herself on a heavy, Victorian chair in front of Henry.   
‘I can imagine.’ Henry studied her for a while with frowned eyes. ‘You look different.’ Finally, he said.  
‘Did you prefer me with my mask on?’ She asked playfully.  
‘It wasn’t bad but it’s good to see your face when we are talking. And this outfit certainly works better for you than a maid uniform.’ He added the last sentence with a meaningful look. Phryne just remembered what he said last night on the soiree. Henry Stokes likes to keep an eye on his employees, and he has all the sources for that. For a moment or two they just stared at each other. It seemed like Henry enjoyed the effect of his last words. He smoked amused for a while before he spoke again. ‘Tell me, Miss Fisher. What made you leaving last night on such early hour? Were you disappointed in your dance partner?’ He asked mockingly.   
‘If you want to know, someone poisoned me.’ Phryne said sternly. Henry’s face reflected honest surprise.   
‘I admit, the service wasn’t excellent but… poison? Aren’t you just being too dramatic, dear?’ He suppressed his cigar and gave Phryne one of his irresistible, charming smiles.  
‘I’m quite sure.’ Phryne pursed her lips as she thought of the incident.  
‘Well, I assume that’s what you get if you make a dago angry.’ Henry shrugged. He seemed honest but Phryne knew him too well to not trust him entirely. ‘We know since Locusta that poison is an Italian weapon.’  
‘Perhaps…’ Phryne said thoughtfully. ‘But how did they know that I was investigating?’  
‘Maybe it wasn’t about the investigation. I can easily imagine that that sweet Italian girl got tired of your flirting with her fiancé.’ Stokes continued mocking her. Phryne felt he was avoiding the subject.   
‘Have you decided what will you do with the information I gave?’ She asked.  
‘Don’t worry about it, dear.’ He said and lit another cigar. ‘Or is there anything else that you didn’t tell me last night?’  
‘What do you mean?’ Phryne asked innocently. If Papa Antonio is planning something big, Henry Stokes has probably a big part of it. Henry raised his eyebrow questioningly.  
‘Well, based on the meeting I had with the dagos last night, I am pretty sure what Papa Antonio is piqued at.’ He inhaled the cigar deeply and blew smoke rings. ‘I was hoping that you can confirm it.’  
‘All I know that he is planning something big.’ Phryne frowned her eyebrows. ‘He wants to take over your territory, I assume.’  
‘He wouldn’t be the first one.’ Henry said indifferently.  
‘I had the impression that he also has the equipment for that…’ Phryne said.  
‘You mean weapons?’ Henry seemed a little more interested.  
‘Explosives.’ Phryne said sternly.   
‘That bastard.’ Henry stood up indignantly and helped himself with a glass of bourbon. ‘He offered his grappa last night. I’m expecting five boxes for today. I assume this is just a trick to survey my warehouse.’  
‘Probably.’ Phryne nodded. ‘And you will let him to do so.’  
‘Are you insane, woman?’ He slammed the glass irritably. ‘Why the hell would I do that?’  
‘I have a plan.’ Phryne said. ‘But first, I need to make sure if I can trust you.’  
‘What kind of question is that?’ His deep blue eyes reflected shock and sadness. True that he wasn’t a saint, but he never did anything which would have betrayed her trust. She was about to soothe him when she heard a disturbingly familiar female voice from behind her back.  
‘Are you ready for me, Henry darling?’  
Phryne had to turn around because she didn’t believe her ears. Frances Thompson was standing there with a sassy expression and very alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! There will be more, I promise. Sadly, I don't have much time for writing nowadays but I promise, I will continue the story as soon as I can. Until then you can follow my IG site for more mfmm related content: agika_lostinmfmm  
> Please, leave a comment here or IG! Thanks!


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